


Twist of Fate

by cjmjane



Series: A New Life Afloat [2]
Category: seaQuest
Genre: Gen, John Harrington - Freeform, Many other OC's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-04-23 05:48:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 91,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4865387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmjane/pseuds/cjmjane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a sequel to Crawling out of the Darkness.  Again, it's a Season 3 work that is slightly AU and includes many new original characters and locations.  Lucas and Tony are placed in a new environment, where they must deal with learning new skills while learning to trust a new team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

Chapter 1: Teaser

He sat on the dock, feet hanging over the edge, enjoying the calmness of the night. He leaned back against the wood post and looked out across the surface of the water. The moon was full tonight, and despite the lack of lights on the remote island, the ripples of water reflected the moon’s natural light back at her. It was peaceful out here. The only sounds to punctuate the still were the gentle laps of water against the wooden dock and the faint hum of insects from within the trees. Everything about this moment was so different from his life on seaQuest, making it even more special. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the post. He could feel the light of the moon on his face - could feel the reflection from the water – and he took a moment to imprint the memory in his mind. This was one he knew he’d want to revisit when life on the UEO’s finest sub became overwhelming; a touch-stone of sorts.

Lucas felt vibrations in the wood, indicating that someone was walking towards him at the end of the dock. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was. Captain Bridger sat next to him without uttering a word, seeming to understand the importance of the silence. Lucas felt a warm hand, rough from years of hard work both in the Navy and on this very island, placed on his back. The retired captain pulled Lucas closer to him, wrapping his arm around the younger man’s shoulder. There weren’t too many people in this world that Lucas would ever allow this intimate a gesture, but with the captain – a substitute father-figure – it was welcomed.

“Another nightmare?” Captain Bridger asked quietly.

Lucas just nodded. It was nothing new. He’d been experiencing nightmares regularly since he’d been taken prisoner by Harrington and the Macronesian Confederation, but they were becoming less frequent and less intense. As usual, his recollections of the dreams were reduced to shady fragments within moments of waking. Unfortunately, the captain had been woken more than once by Lucas’ screaming in the middle of the night, sometimes more than once a night, but each time he’d said the same thing. 

“They’ll stop. Just give it time.” Lucas knew he was right, and it never failed to make him feel better hearing those words directly from the older man. 

It was late, and Lucas knew he needed to get back to bed soon. He was supposed to catch a ride with the supply boat to the mainland early the next morning. There, a transport shuttle would be waiting to take him to the rendezvous point with seaQuest. Regardless of his early wake-up call the next morning, he was hesitant to break the moment. His two week R&R had come to an end, and he was reluctant to leave the security of Bridger’s Island. The time he’d spent with Captain Bridger and little Michael was some of the best he’d had in years. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such an overwhelming feeling of acceptance and family. It was just a pity that this experience had come at such a high price. If he hadn’t been kidnapped and held against his will by the Macronesians, he may never have had the opportunity to reconnect with the captain. They would most likely still be avoiding each other; angry for the others’ decisions.

Sighing, Lucas opened his eyes and shifted his position. Captain Bridger was staring out across the expanse of water, just as Lucas had done earlier. The view was deceiving. Both men knew the truth of what existed in the World’s oceans and the adventures they held. The serene calmness of the Caribbean waters did not give her secrets away from above. Life onboard seaQuest was as exciting and exhilarating as life on Bridger’s Island was safe and welcoming. Lucas could only imagine that the older man still felt the pull of the ocean. Perhaps he was slightly envious of Lucas; of the possibilities ahead. However, Lucas knew that Captain Bridger did not approve of the new UEO; the one that had come to greater power while they had been missing for 10 years. A world on the brink of war was not the welcome that any of them had expected upon their return.

Bridger turned to face Lucas and gave him a small smile. Lucas could tell that the older man was equally as sad to say goodbye. This visit had been cathartic for both of them and neither wanted it to end. Using the post as leverage, Lucas pulled himself to standing and offered his hand to Captain Bridger. The retired captain merely chuckled and swatted his hand a way.

“I may be getting old, Lucas, but I’m not that old.”

Lucas grinned in response and waited for Bridger to stand. They both walked slowly back to the small home, Bridger’s arm pulling Lucas back to him again.


	2. 2

Lucas leaned against the bow of the supply boat, watching Bridger’s Island slowly disappear into the distance. It was early yet, and the sun had only recently started to rise, which left the air crisp and cool. He hadn’t really been ready to leave and would have loved to spend another week with Captain Bridger and Michael, but orders were orders. The seaQuest transport sub was waiting to take him back home and missing it would not be a good career move.

Home. While he still considered seaQuest his home, Lucas now realized it wasn’t the only one he had. He pulled a large square of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. It was a picture of the three of them fishing, drawn by little Michael, and given to him as he was leaving that morning. Lucas smiled at the memory.

_Lucas grabbed his duffle from the table and turned toward the front door where Captain Bridger was waiting to walk with him to the pier._

_“Lucas, wait!”_

_He looked up to see Michael rushing towards him, dressed in his pajamas complete with bed hair. The little boy wrapped his arms around Lucas’ legs in an enthusiastic hug and shoved something in his hand. Pulling the little boy to his side, Lucas took a good look at the paper._

_“Is this for me?”_

_“Yup. I drew it for you to remember. See, there’s you, and me and Grandpa. And that’s the fish I caught.” The little boy proudly pointed out the figures in the drawing._

_“I love it. Thanks, Michael.” Lucas folded the paper gently and slipped it into his pants pocket. “I’ll put it up in my quarters as soon as I get back to seaQuest.”_

_Michael’s smile faltered for a moment. “Do you have to go? Maybe you can stay a little longer? I know Grandpa would like it too? He looked up hopefully at Lucas._

_While every part of him wanted desperately to stay, Lucas knew he had to go. He plastered on the most authentic smile he could muster and lowered his lanky frame to the little boy’s level. “You know Michael, I’d love to stay with you and your grandpa, but I can’t. I have to go back to work. But, I promise that I’ll call you and visit whenever I get a chance. Okay?”_

_Michael nodded, although he didn’t look much happier._

_“Why don’t you go back to bed? It’s still way too early to be up and you only look half awake.” Lucas tousled the little boy’s hair lightly and reached for his bag again._

_“Can’t I come with you to the boat?” Michael looked wistfully at Lucas._

_“Not today, Michael.”_

_Lucas hadn’t noticed Captain Bridger step back into the house and was relieved that he didn’t have to be the one to tell the boy “no.” He reached over to give Michael one last hug, before stepping outside. It wasn’t long before the captain joined him. He wasn’t sure what the older man had said to his grandson to get him to acquiesce without fuss, but he was thankful that he’d have at least a few minutes alone with Captain Bridger before he had to leave the safety of the island._

_The two men stood next to each other and watched the supply boat motor into the dock. The two-man crew gave them a friendly wave before efficiently unloading the monthly supply of provisions that Bridger ordered to keep his home stocked. Both the captain and Lucas knew their time was running out. It wouldn’t be long before Lucas would have to board, leaving the island and inhabitants behind for an unknown length of time._

_Captain Bridger pulled Lucas into a tight embrace, which he returned. This was much harder than he ever thought imaginable. Over the course of the past two weeks, he’d re-established a bond with the older man that he’d truly thought they’d lost. Now more than ever, Lucas felt as though he belonged somewhere other than on a UEO submarine. He was reticent to leave, fearing that somehow, they’d lose contact and faith in each other again._

_“Hey Kiddo.” Bridger seemed to sense that Lucas was feeling. “You going to be okay?”_

_Lucas pulled away and nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” He looked back at the tanned face of the older man, the concern deeply embedded in his features. “Captain?” Lucas looked back out over the water. “Thank you. For letting me come stay. For everything.” There was so much he wanted to say to the older man, but couldn’t formulate into words. Apparently, they weren’t needed._

_Captain Bridger placed his hands on Lucas’ shoulders and turned him so that the two of them were looking directly at each other. “Listen, Kiddo. You’re family and this island will be your home as long as you want it to be. Michael and I, we want you to come back. Anytime. Got it?_

_He gave the captain a small smile, “Yeah. Thanks.” Truth be told, that’s exactly how he felt about them too. Michael and Captain Bridger were the only family he had, and he wasn’t planning on losing them again._

Lucas smoothed out the paper, feeling the topography created by crayon beneath his fingers. Careful not to rip it, he folded the drawing back into a square and slipped it safely back into his pocket. The island was no more than a speck in the distance, while the outline of the mainland was fast approaching. It wouldn’t be long before they reached shore.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ

With a quick wave of thanks, Lucas shouldered his bag and stepped off the boat onto the dock. He made his way slowly towards the area where transport subs entered the harbor. Lucas glanced at his watch and noted that he was running slightly behind schedule. Not exactly desirable when being escorted to the UEO’s pride and joy by a military shuttle, but when you hitch a ride with supply boats, you generally are at the mercy of their schedules and the sea.

Picking up his pace, Lucas headed down the long wooden pier towards the only vehicle currently docked. In the distance, he could see a tall figure leaning up against a lamp post; most likely his pilot. As he got closer, Lucas realized he recognized the man waiting for him. You have got to be kidding me. He stopped in his tracks; his bag dropping down to his side. The figure pushed himself to standing and started taking long strides to meet him. Lucas didn’t wait for him to catch up. He adjusted his hand on the duffle and willed himself to move forward.

“Lucas. You’re looking well. I’m guessing that two weeks off have done you some good.” The older man reached out his hand to shake Lucas’.

For a fraction of a second, Lucas considered not returning the gesture. However, as a UEO Officer, he had manners and knowledge of appropriate military greetings. The man in front of him would warrant a salute, if they’d met under different circumstances. He gripped the man’s hand in response, dropping it almost immediately after.

“Harrington. I wish I could say it’s a pleasure, but I wasn’t exactly hoping to see you here.”

The man in front of him chuckled and slapped Lucas lightly on the back. “I guess not. Regardless, I’m your welcoming party. Surprise.”

Lucas rolled his eyes and started walking towards the shuttle. “Is there a reason you’ve been sent to pick me up, or did you just miss me?” He knew that he should show a bit more respect towards the COA agent, but as far as he was concerned, their history gave him some leeway.

“You got me. I couldn’t stay away from your charming personality.”

They had reached the launch when the older man turned to face Lucas. “All joking aside, kid, I requested to be your welcome party. I have a few things to discuss with you.” He nodded towards the hatch. “Let’s go inside and I’ll fill you in on the details.”

Lucas followed his former captor, a Covert Operations agent, through the hatch and down the ladder into the belly of the launch. He was still reeling from the surprise appearance of a man he had hoped not to see again for a long time. Regardless of how they left things a few weeks back, Lucas was still angry at the man for what he had done to him, and for putting him in a very difficult position with Captain Bridger. He tossed his duffle onto an open seat and dropped into the co-pilot chair next to Harrington. He slipped the headset over his ears, noting that Harrington had done the same, and latched his seat belt.

Lucas waited until they were safely out of the harbor before addressing the older man about his surprise appearance.

“So, Harrington, are we really heading towards seaQuest, or are you planning on holding me against my will? Again.” He leaned back in his seat, arms crossed against his chest. He knew he was coming across as a petulant teenager, but he couldn’t keep the distrust from creeping into his voice.

The older man turned towards him, eyebrow raised, and with a slightly amused smirk. “First of all, kid, I’m no longer John Harrington. From this moment on, if you refer to me by that name, I won’t respond. It was an alias specifically created for my assignment in Macronesian. For all intents and purposes, Harrington is dead. You can call me John, Roberts, or even Sir if you wish.”

“John Roberts?” Lucas scoffed. Of course. A throw-back to his former identity – his real identity. The mere mention of his new alias was enough to irritate Lucas.

“If you have a problem with name, just spit it out.”

“Yes, I have a problem with your name, Sir.” Lucas blurted out. I’ve spent the past two weeks with your father and your son, and I couldn’t even tell them that you are alive. Every time I looked at Captain Bridger, I felt as though I was lying to him. I respect him too much for that, Sir.” Lucas took a deep breath before continuing, “You put me in a very uncomfortable position, an unfair position, and I won’t keep lying for you. If the captain asks me about you directly, I’m not going to lie. I’d give anything to have what you have – a family – and you don’t seem to care.”

The older man’s expression hardened, and for a brief moment, Lucas regretted his outburst. The cold, hard stare did not last, however, and John slipped on the mask of a professional.

“I don’t expect you to accept or understand my reasons, Ensign, but you will not disclose my identity without direct permission. Is that understood?” John stared intently at Lucas, who glanced away.

He didn’t need to respond. The statement was an order from a higher ranking officer, and Lucas knew what the repercussions of disobeying that order would be.

“There is a reason for every action I take. The one thing you need to keep in mind is that my line of work is a lot more dangerous than patrolling the ocean in the UEO’s flagship submarine. No one can know that I am Robert Bridger. No one can know that I have family. If they do, any of our enemies, anyone who wants leverage in the current “political skirmish” will know my weakness. By keeping my father and Michael completely unaware of my existence, they are kept safe.”

John looked away from Lucas, his expression softening. “ Do you have any idea what our enemies could do to my family if they knew where I was, what I was? You think your stint in Macronesia was bad? Can you imagine what they’d do to Michael just to get to me? Right now, they think I’m dead. It’s best for everyone if they continue to think that. Don’t you agree?”

Lucas didn’t want to think about Michael in the hands of the Macronesians, or anyone else for that matter. He didn’t want to imagine what it would do to Captain Bridger, or himself. He realized that no matter how difficult a position he was in, and how much the captain would resent him later, he could not be the person responsible for jeopardizing the captain or Michael’s safety. He loved them both too much. Instead, Lucas just nodded silently.

John cleared his throat, and adjusted his position in the pilot’s seat. Lucas realized that he still had no idea why John had requested to be his “welcome party.” He was pretty certain the older man could have told him his new alias some other way, or not at all. There was something else the agent wanted to discuss and now was as good a time as any to address the issue.

“Uh, John, are you going to tell me why you’re here, or do you want me to guess?” Lucas chewed his lower lip nervously. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know what Roberts had to say. It couldn’t be good.

John Roberts gave Lucas a grin – like the cat that ate the canary – and leaned back in his seat. Apparently, the older man was looking forward to sharing whatever he had up his sleeve.

“Lucas, I wanted the opportunity to speak to you, alone, before you went back onto active duty. I’m not sure if you are aware of how impressed I was of the way you reacted to your abduction and imprisonment. You held yourself together better than many seasoned soldiers would have. Despite the conditions, you managed to keep your wits about you.” John paused, waiting for some reaction.

Lucas wasn’t sure how to respond. “Uh, thanks. I guess.”

John chuckled. “I informed my superiors of your resolve under duress, and they agree. Your intelligence, computer skills, and age, coupled with your performance under pressure, make you an excellent candidate for COA recruitment. To be quite honest, the fact that you have no living family, or any real ties on-land, make you even more attractive to the agency.”

John looked Lucas directly in the eyes, and the younger man wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was coming next.

“I want to offer you the opportunity to join the Covert Operations Agency as a new recruit.”

This was not what he expected. At all. Lucas’ initial reaction was to ask John if he was kidding, but one look at the older man’s face told him that he wasn’t. He was 100% serious. Lucas sat staring at Roberts in stunned silence. Did they think he’d jump at the chance to join the same people who had taken him captive? Who’d beaten him? Starved him? Were willing to sacrifice him? What about his newly repaired relationship with Captain Bridger? Was he just supposed to give that up because some secret UEO agency thought he was worthy of joining them? Did they think he’d give everything he had left up for them?

Lucas brushed his hand through his shorter hair, and took a deep breath. “No.”

John tilted his head in response. He didn’t look too surprised. “No?”

“Yeah. No. I’m not interested. I don’t want to join your agency. I don’t want your life. Just let me live my own.”

John reached over and lightly patted Lucas on the back, giving him an amused smile. “Lucas, there are too many people in high ranking political positions who know your face. The young prodigy, Mr. Wolenczak, goes missing with seaQuest and shows up mysteriously ten years later with the rest of the crew, and the world takes note. We’re not asking you to become an embedded covert ops agent. We want you to consider working for us at headquarters. No one could know that you were working for the COA, but you wouldn’t have to cut ties like the rest of us.” John settled back into his own seat. “Just think about it.”

“I don’t have to think about it, Sir. I’m not interested.” Despite his words, he couldn’t help but think about the offer. Not of whether he’d take it, but why they thought it would be even remotely appealing. Lucas was still struggling to deal with his emotions regarding the UEO in general in the aftermath of his kidnapping. They had destroyed most of the trust he had in the institution as a whole, and they weren’t even directly involved. It had been John and the COA who had been responsible for his misery. No, he would never join them.

“I understand, Lucas, I really do. But, if you ever change your mind, the offer remains on the table.”


	3. 3

Shortly after arriving back on _seaQuest_ , John headed towards the Ward Room to speak with Captain Hudson, while Lucas was given leave to head to his own quarters to unpack. He was not yet allowed to be placed on the roster for active duty, at least not until Dr. Perry had given him a once-over and signed the paperwork.  In reality, this was merely a formality.  Lucas felt fine and the physical effects of his brief stint in captivity had long since healed.  Nevertheless, he planned on seeing the good doctor as soon as possible so that he could get back to work. There wasn’t much more boring than being stuck on a sub and not having any real work to do.

Lucas swung open the hatch to his quarters only to be greeted by the sight of Tony Piccolo sleeping on the top bunk.  _His_ bunk.  The Warrant Officer didn’t even roll over as Lucas descended the metal steps with loudly.  Apparently, he was in a very deep sleep.  Lucas grinned. He could use this to his advantage. His duffle bag was filled to the point where he could barely zip it, but it really wasn’t that heavy. With a quick toss, the bag sailed in a beautiful arc and landed squarely on Tony’s head.

“Morning, Sunshine!”  Lucas yelled, stepping back.

 Piccolo shot straight up in the bed, arms flailing ungracefully; trying to bat the bag away.

“Wha…What?”  It took a moment for Tony to realize where he was and what had just happened, but his eyes soon focused on his returned roommate.  “Holy crap, Wolenczak.  You scared the shit outta me.”

With a huge smile on his face, Lucas dropped his lanky body into the computer chair and watched as Piccolo rubbed his eyes and swung his legs over the edge of the bunk.  “Serves you right, Tony.  I didn’t say you could commandeer the top bunk in my absence.”

“Yeah, well you weren’t around so I took it.” Tony grinned and tossed the duffle bag back at his roommate.  “I thought you weren’t supposed to get back until this evening.  So what gives?  You miss me and this tin can too much to stay away?”

“As if.”  He shook his head. “Nah.  I had to catch the only ride I could from Bridger’s Island, and it just so happens that it was at the crack of dawn.”  Lucas paused, then stood up to pull his clothes out of the duffle bag and put them back in his locker.  “I could have stayed there for another two weeks if they’d let me.”

“I bet.  So, how’s the old man doin’ these days?  I still can’t picture him puttzin’ around that island of his, not after being the captain of _seaQuest_.” Tony shook his head in mock disbelief.

“The _old man_ would not appreciate being called _old_. That I know.”  Lucas chuckled.  “He’s fine. Great actually. I think he likes not having to deal with UEO politics and having time to work on new research projects. Plus, Michael is keeping him busy enough that I doubt he even has time to think about his old life.  I think he’s happy.“ Lucas reached into his locker and pulled out his blue jumpsuit.  It had been a while since he’d worn the uniform and it felt oddly comforting. Despite enjoying being away from work, the boat, and the constant barking of orders, he’d missed _seaQuest_ and the crew and the familiarity of life at sea.

“What did I miss while I was gone?  Anything interesting happen?”  He was genuinely interested in finding out what new assignments they’d been given, and secretly hoped he hadn’t missed anything truly exciting. There were plenty of adventures the _seaQuest_ had been on through the years that he was thrilled to be a part of: Atlantis, the lost library of Alexandria, not to mention the re-emergence of a prehistoric crocodile. He couldn’t imagine not being part of those experiences, however there were plenty of others – more recently – that he wished they didn’t have to deal with.  He only hoped that the crew of _seaQuest_ had had a pretty tame two weeks in his absence.

“Nah.  Not much. After you left with Bridger, we stuck around New Cape Quest for a bit.  Figured they felt guilty for yankin’ us back on the boat even before we got our leave. I’m pretty sure everyone got at least two days off. “

“Even Tim?”  Lucas grinned at Tony.  They both knew that the communications officer more than deserved some personal time on land and in the natural sunlight.

“Dude, I think the captain gave him the whole week!” Tony dropped down from the top bunk and ambled to his own locker.  He paused before pulling his own uniform out.  “Other than R&R, we haven’t done much. Just the usual patrol. I think we’re on our way to deal with a dispute between two mining colonies right now.  Just slowed down to pick up your sorry ass.”

 Tony reached over to ruffle Lucas’ hair, but he managed to side step in time.  “You like having me back, just admit it.”

“Yeah, well don’t think you’re getting your bunk back without a fight, Einstein.”

“Don’t make me pull rank, Piccolo…”

“Like that’s ever worked before.”

The light-hearted banter between the two men had been missed, and Lucas was glad that he didn’t have to deal with Piccolo walking on egg shells around him.  He hoped that enough time had passed since his escape from captivity, that the rest of the crew had taken a page from that book.  Before he had a chance to respond to Tony’s come-back, the intercom alert sounded followed by a familiar.

_“Ensign Wolenczak and Warrant Officer Piccolo, please report to the Ward Room.”_

Lucas reached over to the console in order to respond. “Aye, Lieutenant.”

Tony, looking slightly confused, pressed the button again, “Me?”

_“On the double, Piccolo.”_

 Lucas just looked at Tony and shrugged, as the two scrambled to get themselves into uniform and looking presentable.

 

sQ  sQ  sQ sQ  sQ  sQ sQ  sQ  sQ sQ

 

Lucas wasn’t surprised to see John Roberts seated at the table with Hudson, but he could tell based on Tony’s body language that he was taken aback.  Both men stood at attention, waiting for the order to stand at ease. 

Captain Hudson merely waved at the seats circling the table, indicating that both the ensign and warrant office could sit. Lucas moved towards the opposite end of the table from Roberts, while Tony chose to sit a little closer. Piccolo, despite knowing more about Roberts/Harrington than the majority of the crew, still had no idea what role the older agent had played in Lucas’ abduction and imprisonment. A select few, specifically Hudson, Ford and O’Neill, were aware of the details, but the rest of the crew were allowed to assume that “Harrington” had discovered Lucas captive and had initiated his escape and rescue.  Piccolo therefore had no reason to dislike or mistrust the older man, but he was probably somewhat curious. 

Unlike Piccolo, Lucas was _very_ suspicious.  As far as he could tell, there was no way this man was here strictly to give him a lift to _seaQuest_ and to incidentally offer him a chance to ditch his current post for one with the COA. There was something going on and he was pretty sure the captain didn’t like it either.  Hudson was giving John one of his patented stares, complete with one raised eyebrow, and the captain’s mouth was set in a fine line.

Once Lucas was seated, Hudson turned to him with a grim smile. “Welcome back, ensign.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I hope you haven’t unpacked your bag yet, Wolenczak. Looks as though you are taking another extended trip away from _seaQuest_.”

“Sir?”  This was not was he expected.  He looked at the captain in confusion, noting that Tony, sitting within his peripheral vision, had his mouth open in surprise.

“You too, Piccolo.”

“Um…  What?”

Hudson placed both of his hands on the table and leaned in closer. “Apparently, the two of you have been requested for temporary duty elsewhere.  The orders just came today.  You’ll be leaving within the afternoon with Agent Roberts.” He pushed himself back from the table and stood, ignoring the confusion on Lucas and Tony’s faces. “I’ll leave the details to you, Roberts.”  As he walked towards the door, and closer to the COA agent, Lucas could barely make out the slightly menacing look on the captain’s face.  He leaned into Roberts, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “I expect my men to be returned in the same condition they left this time, Roberts.”

John, not intimidated by the captain responded, “I’ll do my best, Captain.”

Before stepping through the Ward Room door, Captain Hudson turned back to address Lucas.  “Ensign, this doesn’t get you off the hook with Dr. Perry.  I won’t let you off this boat unless she clears you.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And men--”

“Yes, sir?”  Both Piccolo and Lucas looked expectedly at Hudson

“I want to speak with you both before you ship out.”

“Yes, sir.”

The door closed quietly behind the captain.

Tony and Lucas, both sitting taller in their seats, looked expectedly at Roberts.

“Mr. Piccolo, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I imagine you’re a bit confused.  Unlike Lucas, you weren’t privy to a lot of information the last time I was onboard this boat.  I’m going to tell you what I told Captain Hudson and Commander Ford when I brought Lucas back.  What I’m about to share with you is classified at the highest level.  If you so much as breathe this information outside of this room, you’ll wish you hadn’t.”  Roberts looked directly at Tony, who just swallowed nervously.  “I am an agent with the Covert Operations Agency – an agency which the UEO will deny ever existed.   The primary role of this agency is to infiltrate governments, confederations, corporations --you name it--that appears to pose some threat to the world and the global economy. This agency achieves this by inserting agents into undercover roles within each of these situations. These men and women give up their identities to take on the persona of the person they need to be to gain intelligence or high-ranking positions within those governments. Their primary mission is to do what it takes, for as long as it takes, go get what we need to bring down any corrupt individual, group, or potential threat to the UEO.”

Lucas had heard a version of this standard statement before, but Tony hadn’t.  He noted the stunned look on his friend’s face and the fact that his mouth was hanging open in surprise.   Roberts was also observing Piccolo, perhaps to gauge his reaction, and Lucas noted that he did not appear rushed to explain why he’d singled them out. 

“You’ve just been issued orders to report immediately to the COA headquarters off the coast of Maine.  There you will spend an undisclosed length of time undercover as new recruits at our training facility and command center. As of right now, you report to me – not Captain Hudson or any other senior officer of _seaQuest_.  For the length of this mission, you are no longer a part of the UEO Navy. “

Lucas’s eyes blazed with fury.  “You have _got_ to be kidding.  So, that whole ‘ _recruitment’_ speech in the launch was your attempt at a joke?  You were just planning on shanghaiing me anyway?”  Lucas was livid and he wasn’t holding back. “What benefit could we possibly provide by being unwilling _recruits_ for your agency?”  He pushed back from the table and was about to stand when Roberts interrupted.

“Sit down, Lucas.” 

 He was firm and his voice held the air of authority that made Lucas hesitate.   Reluctantly, Lucas repositioned himself in his seat.

“Both of you will sit and listen without interruption. You can ask questions after you’ve heard the details.  Got it?” Roberts looked at Lucas first – who just glared back – before turning to Tony.  Piccolo just nodded. 

“Good.  Now pay attention. We can speak freely here. Once we leave _seaQuest_ , all bets are off.  We have reason to believe that there is a mole within the ranks at COA headquarters.  Someone, with high level clearances to our highly classified personnel information, has been leaking covert agents’ locations, identification details and mission directives over enemy lines.  In the past four months, at least three agents have been compromised and six missions have gone south. Only four of us at headquarters are privy to this information.  We have no idea how high this mole is placed and quite honestly, don’t trust anyone inside. We need someone from the outside – someone we know is not involved – to quietly dig the mole out.” Roberts looked directly at Lucas. “Lucas, we need your skills with the computer to help filter through our systems and databases. Everyone at COA is aware of your talents and your experience with _seaQuest_ ; no one would question your recruitment for a second.”

“Um, sir?”  Tony hesitated slightly, “What about me?”  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  “I mean, I get why you’d want Lucas, but what do you need me for?”

“We know about your gills, Mr. Piccolo.” Roberts leaned in closer to the Warrant Officer.  “And we think they could be very useful to the COA. “

Lucas and Tony exchanged a look.  Roberts hadn’t answered his question.  Rather, he’d made a blatant indication that the COA would be interested in his “talent” for more than a temporary assignment.

John gave them both a quick smile.  “Listen, Tony.  I’ve seen your files.  I know your family background, your criminal record, and the reason you were dropped on _seaQuest_.   I also know of your loyalty to _t_ he boat, the crew and your captain.  Like Lucas, no one would question your recruitment – too much.  We’d be interested in having you join COA permanently, but right now we’ll settle with you going through training, watching Lucas’ back and keeping your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. Like I said, there aren’t too many we can trust inside right now, and I know that you and Lucas can be trusted. That good enough a reason for you?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good.  Your cover is that both of you have been accepted to the Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island and are expected to complete the full course. No one on board, or off the boat, should question this explanation.  I’m actually surprised you haven’t been ordered there yet, Lucas. You’re an ensign with no military experience. Practically unheard of these days.”

“Tony, I’m aware of the number of times you’ve applied for OCS. Isn’t it about time you were accepted?”

Lucas chewed on his lower lip, deep in thought. He looked up at the older man. “Don’t you think they’d notice that we weren’t there?”

“Ah, kid.  That’s the beauty of OCS.  Officer candidates are not allowed contact with the outside world once they start the program. They spend their training in isolation and are restricted from vidcalls, internex and any other form of communication.  No one will even question your lack of contact.”

“Fine, so they won’t notice that we’re not there, but won’t it be obvious when we get back?”  Tony looked concerned, and Lucas could understand why.  Piccolo was very determined to make Lieutenant and failing again, after completing OCS, would not look good on his record.

John seemed to understand Tony’s concern equally as well. “Tony, I can guarantee that in the process of completing COA training and flushing out this mole, you’ll have gone through a more rigorous process than any naval officer graduating from OCS. You have my word, that if you commit to this assignment, you’ll get fast-tracked for promotion. Both of you will. Deal?”

Lucas saw Tony’s expression and knew that his friend was conflicted.  While he really wanted the higher rank, Piccolo was not one to sell out his friends. Lucas understood that if he refused the assignment – like he had that option – Tony would do the same. Lucas was angry that he’d been corned like this by Roberts.  Again, he was being put into a situation he wasn’t comfortable with by a man he wasn’t sure if he trusted.  However, he really wanted Tony to at least get a chance for promotion and it was obvious that his friend really wanted to say yes.  Plus, it couldn’t hurt, right?  They’d be on US soil, in a training facility, with a number of other people. He wasn’t going to be forced to sign onto the COA, just provide expertise for one assignment.  He sighed and turned to Roberts.

 “Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Deal.”  Piccolo echoed.

“Good.”  Roberts reached over to shake Tony’s hand, a huge grin on his face.  “You never know.  You might actually like it.”

Lucas wasn’t so certain.

“Get yourselves packed.”  John looked at his watch.  “Fast. We’ll be leaving within the hour. You can pack your uniforms for show, but you won’t be needing them.  Bring civvies and pack light.”

Both Lucas and Piccolo pushed their seats from the table and stood up.  While Tony stepped out of the Ward Room, Lucas held back.  He waited until his friend had enough time to get out of earshot before turning to speak with Roberts.

“Even though you probably weren’t going to give us a choice in the matter, I’m only going along voluntarily because of him. You had better follow through on your word, John.  He deserves that promotion. We all know it.”

“I’m good on my word, Lucas.  You can trust me.”

“Can I?  You haven’t proven to be very trustworthy or truthful lately.”  Lucas looked the older man squarely in the eye. This was one higher ranking officer that he knew he could stand up to without worrying about military repercussions.

“Fair enough.  From now on, I’ll tell it as it is.  No sugar coating or beating around the bush.  I think we can make a good team, Lucas.  As long as we are on the same side and work together.  Give it another chance.”

“Fine.  But if I find out you’ve been deceiving me again, all bets are off.”

“Deal.  Now hurry up. Apparently, you need to squeeze in a visit with the doctor before Hudson will let me get you on a launch.” Roberts reached over to lightly thump Lucas on the back, which the younger man tried to shrug off immediately.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

“ Lucas! ” 

Lucas had been reaching to open the door to his quarters when he heard his name being called. He turned to see Tim O’Neill headed towards him and waited for him to catch up.

“How was your leave?” He inquired.

“It was good. Thanks.” He gave him a small smile response and pushed the door open. “Yours?” 

“Great. I did absolutely nothing but lie on the beach and read, and enjoyed every minute of it. Can’t be too sure when the next time I’ll get a chance to get off the boat again.” Tim chuckled. 

Lucas knew exactly what he meant. Between the two of them, they hadn’t had much time on shore leave as the rest of the crew and they were not going to take any for granted. 

“I can’t believe you just got here and they are shipping you out again though” he mused while stepping into the room, “At least this time you’ll have company.” 

Lucas gave Tim a curious look. “How did you know? We were just informed.”

“Captain Hudson came onto the bridge and gave us new coordinates. Apparently, the UEO thought it was time that you two earned your positions on board.” With that, O’Neill gave Lucas a jovial thump on the back.

“Hey guys.” Tony’s muffled greeting came from under his bunk where he was reaching to pull out his own duffle bag. As he pulled himself to standing, he gave his bag a quick shake, sending a cloud of dust flying. “Finally. I thought I’d lost this thing.” He gave the small gathering a typical Piccolo grin and immediately headed for his locker. 

It was hard not to notice the excitement in Tony’s actions. Lucas knew that his friend was loyal to his friends, and would never intentionally do anything to upset him, but it was obvious that Piccolo was much more enthusiastic about their assignment than he was trying to appear. He only wished he could share some of that enthusiasm. 

“I can’t believe you finally got in, Tony.” Tim was just about to sit in Lucas’ computer chair when he realized what he’d said. “I mean -- You know what I meant, right Tony?” Tim tried to back pedal his statement, while he watched Piccolo shove his basics into his UEO issued duffle bag. “It’s just that I was beginning to think that maybe they had some sort of ulterior motive for always rejecting you.”

Tony chuckled. “Yeah, I was pretty much thinking the same thing.” He paused for a moment, frowning with concentration, before zipping up the bag. “Done. How ‘bout you, Luke?”

Standing in front of his own locker, Lucas sighed. “It’s Lucas and give me a minute.” It wouldn’t take long to get his bag packed. By what Roberts had implied, they wouldn’t really need too much. All he really had to do was repack what he’d unpacked a few hours earlier. His lack of enthusiasm was not missed by his friends.

“Don’t trip over your lip there, Wolenczak,” Tony quipped. “Wouldn’t want you hurting yourself before Doc Perry gave you the ‘all clear.’”

“Stuff it, Tony.” Lucas rolled his eyes and started pulling clothes off the shelf. Unlike Tony, he wasn’t shoving them in there with reckless abandon.

Tim looked at Tony and then back at Lucas, visibly confused. “I don’t get it. Aren’t you excited to go to OCS? I would have thought you’d be looking forward to it as much as Tony appears to be.”

Lucas tossed his now-packed bag on the floor and ran his hand over the top of his head. The lack of hair was still a bit of a shock to him, even after weeks of letting it grow back. It was still a far cry from the over-grown style he’d sported for most of his teen years. He sighed and really wished he didn’t have to hide the truth from one of his most trusted friends. Roberts was really getting into the habit of forcing secrets on him. Secrets he wasn’t at liberty to share with those he was closest to. 

“No, I’m not excited, Tim. I’ve been off duty and away from seaQuest for what, five weeks? I just got here a couple of hours ago and already they’re shipping me off again.” He dropped sullenly onto the bottom bunk and rubbed his eyes. “I just wanted to get settled again; to get back to normal.”

Tony gave Lucas a sidelong glance, one that Tim fortunately did not notice. 

“Well, at least OCS isn’t too long. Six? Eight weeks?” Tim quietly stated. 

“Something like that.” 

The three men sat in silence for a moment before Lucas stood up. “Sorry to cut this reunion short, but apparently, Doctor Perry is not going to let me leave this boat without her consent. And while I’m seriously considering faking it to fail her physical, I think I might just get dragged to the launch anyway.” He gave Tony and Tim a wan smile. He reached down to grab his bag and started up towards the hatch. “I’ll see you soon, Tim. Take care of Darwin, okay?”

Tim nodded in acquiescence. 

“I’ll meet you in launch bay, Tony.” With that Lucas slung the bag over his shoulder and pushed through the door.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

After a quick, but thorough, physical by Dr. Perry, and a warning from Hudson not to trust Roberts, Lucas found himself on the transport shuttle heading even further north up the east coast. The trip between Rhode Island and northern Maine was relatively short and quiet. Roberts took the helm, leaving Tony and Lucas to man the secondary controls as an aside. 

The mood on the shuttle was tense. Lucas was visibly seething at being forced into an assignment he wanted nothing to with, and he could tell that Tony was trying to hide his excitement. He couldn’t blame his friend. While Piccolo had been privy to most of what Lucas had experienced while held captive, he didn’t know the extent of Roberts’ involvement. He had no idea that most of the torment that Lucas re-lived nightly in his dreams was the direct result of the older man’s actions. To his credit, Tony could sense that Lucas was in no mood for small talk, or any cheery speculations as to what they were going to be tasked with over the next few weeks. Lucas was relieved that both Piccolo and Roberts were leaving him alone – for the time being. Right now, he just wanted to deal with his nervous energy alone. If they interpreted his growing anxiety as childish petulance – fine. He would rather they just consider him to be off in a corner pouting, rather than the reality of his growing concern and fear. 

Rationally, Lucas knew that there would be little chance of being taken prisoner or fearing for his life while at the COA Headquarters, but that did little to loosen the knot in his stomach. As the therapist he’d been required to meet with had pointed out, it would take a while for him to get through the emotions that his ordeal had stirred up. He was getting better, and was definitely feeling less anger towards those individuals who had been directly involved, and the UEO in general, but he wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. For as long as his heart rate increased erratically in fear at sudden noises, and movements, and he wasn’t going let go and trust the COA. Roberts was going to have to earn his confidence back.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

As he stepped out of the hatch, Lucas was met with the crisp, cool Maine air. Despite being the height of the summer, the evening temperature this far north in New England was refreshingly free of the heat and humidity; an indication perhaps of the harsh reality their winters had to offer. Lucas felt the chill through his shirt and momentarily contemplated pulling his only jacket of the duffle. Thanks to the climate controlled environment on seaQuest, it wasn’t too often he had an occasion to wear the fleece. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tony try to hide a shiver of his own, but shrug it off. 

The dock where they’d moored was quiet and isolated; their transport vehicle the only one present. From the looks of things, they appeared to be in a remote location surrounded by rocky outcroppings and thick swaths of trees. At the end of the well-kept, wooden pier, Lucas could see a lone figure walking towards them. Roberts, taking the lead, indicated that the seaQuest pair follow him. They were soon met by a young man dressed in civilian clothes, but unmistakably military.

“Sir,” the man stepped forward and saluted, “I’m here to transport you to Campus.”

Roberts returned the salute, albeit rather without the same sharp edge. “Thanks, Campbell.” He turned to Lucas and Tony and grinned. “Welcome to Maine, gentlemen. Grab your gear and head to the vehicle. The last leg of the trip isn’t too much further.”

Lucas tossed his bag along with Tony’s in the back of the vehicle and crammed his long legs into the rear seat. Tony grunted with discomfort as his knees jammed into the seat in front of him.

“Should’a called shot-gun,” Piccolo grumbled as he moved to find a more comfortable position.

Lucas gave him a sharp jab with his elbow, but Roberts just chuckled in response. 

“Sorry about the close quarters. Believe it or not, you two are actually getting the royal treatment here. You’re lucky we didn’t make you find your own way to Campus.” He turned to address Piccolo directly, and Lucas could almost detect a mischievous glint in the agent’s eye. “For some unlucky recruits, their first test is to see if they can make it to HQ using an old –fashioned paper map and compass.” 

Lucas could not help but smile. He remembered the last experience he and Piccolo had with a map. It was when they’d been transported back in time – to the Cuban Missile Crisis – and not even Lonnie or Ford had been able to decipher it without trouble. Roberts winked at Lucas and for a second, the younger man wondered if he had access to that classified mission as well. He shook his head. It wouldn’t surprise him at all. The COA seemed to have access to more of his life than he thought possible.

“We should be arriving at HQ, affectionately referred to as “Campus” within an hour. Once we get there, you will be assigned bunks with the rest of your recruitment class. We generally bring in groups of six to twelve recruits at a time. Even though you all are hand-selected to go through this training process, a good number don’t make it through the entire program. Any fewer than six recruits per class, and the retention percentage is not worth the training effort.”

“Do you know how many are in our class?” Lucas couldn’t help but ask.

“No. Sorry. My only obligation was to convince you to come with me. Once we hit Campus, my job is done.” Roberts raised his eyebrows and Lucas could read the warning in his expression. With a sidelong glance at Tony, he noted that his friend could see that their charade had officially begun. From now on, they could not speak openly about how they had been “selected” to take part in the COA recruit training and what their expectations included.

“I’ll hand you off to your assigned training Chief shortly upon arrival, and he’ll take over from there. After that, any contact we have will be in regards to specialty training.” Roberts turned to look at Lucas. “Your first week will be focused entirely on basic physical training. After that, you’ll all be expected to complete a number of other mods, as well as breaking off into the development of specialized skills. Lucas, that means I’ll soon be seeing you in the computer labs.” He shifted his focus to Tony. “Piccolo, with your unique skills, you will most probably be spending most of your individualized training in the aquatics tank.”

Lucas could see Tony sit a bit straighter in his seat. It was obvious that the thought of honing on his skills, and using his man-generate gills more effectively, was exciting. He knew that the Warrant Officer was working hard to carve out a place with the seaQuest officers, even though he wasn’t yet an officer himself. They, including Captain Hudson, appreciated what Tony had to offer, even though the UEO hadn’t officially done so themselves. The ability to bring more to the team would go a long way towards making Tony feel as though he earned a place with the bridge officers.

“Sir, are we goin’ to be trained for covert operation? You know, to be spies like James Bond?” Tony grinned.

“Piccolo, short of having plastic surgery, there is no chance either of you would ever be placed on a covert assignment.” Roberts chuckled. “Everyone and his mother knows of the missing seaQuest crew. Your ugly mugs were plastered over the news for months both at the time of your disappearance and shortly after your return.” He nodded towards Lucas, “People are still talking about your most recent return to the land of the living.” He glanced out of his window and smiled. “Ah, welcome to your home away from home, gentlemen.”

Lucas turned his attention to the scenery around them. The car was pulling up to a security booth built into a large gate set into a high wall topped with barbed wire. The sign on the wall merely read, “New Generation Power Company: Research and Energy Center.” 

A security officer stepped out from his station and approached the vehicle. The driver rolled down the window and passed through a handful of paperwork, and I.D. badge. The security officer ducked to look into the back of the vehicle, giving both Lucas and Tony a long look, before turning to Roberts. “Good to see you back, sir. All paperwork is in order.”

Roberts nodded in acknowledgement and the officer handed the paperwork back to the driver. The gate swung open slowly, exposing the long winding road ahead. To his surprise, Lucas could not see any buildings. Rather, the road was almost completely lined with a thick blanket of trees. Upon closer inspection, he noted a sophisticated surveillance feature along the wall, and the glint of metal in between the trees. Despite its remote location and apparent lack of visible security, the COA headquarters were very well protected and monitored.

As the car rounded the last turn, the trees began to thin and eventually give way to a number of unassuming buildings. Almost immediately, Lucas understood why the facility had been nicknamed the “Campus.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lucas found himself sitting a little straighter in his seat and pressing his nose closer to the vehicle’s glass window. The COA’s “campus” reminded him of just about every small New England liberal arts college he’d ever visited or seen. The buildings were large, but not large enough to be daunting, and the center courtyard was covered in lush, green grass. There were even benches strategically place beneath large trees – almost an invitation to anyone passing by to sit down and take out a book. 

As he looked closer, he could almost imagine which buildings were classrooms, dormitories, and in the distance, one which surely had to be a sports center. Yes, he understood completely why headquarters were called “campus.” For someone who valued academia as much as he did, the sight was somewhat comforting, and he found himself drawn to his surroundings, rather than repelled as he thought he would be. The COA headquarters in no way resembled any of the official UEO buildings he’d ever been in, and put even the Ballard Institute (before it became part of the UEO) to shame.

With his attention clearly focused on the new surroundings, Lucas did not notice the sidelong glance John Roberts gave him. Nor did he notice the small smile on the older man’s face. Rather, he barely noticed the subtle shift in movement from Tony sitting beside him, who was also taking in the new environment with awe. As submariners, both young men were kept away from land for most months of the year. Even when they managed to get off the boat, most of their time was spent on underwater colonies. Their time spent above water on dry land was limited, and most often relegated to New Cape Quest. Despite their current assignment, neither Lucas nor Tony could deny their appreciation for the opportunity to spend this time in a completely new, and pleasant, physical environment.

Lucas stared at the building to their left. Due to its position within the courtyard, and compared to the other buildings, more elaborate architecture, it appeared to be the focal point of campus – the main hall. As his eyes were drawn up towards the face of a large clock and bell tower, he noticed a slight flutter of the blinds in one of the windows. For a brief moment, Lucas thought he saw a hand pulling the shades down; a pair of eyes staring out at them. As fast as they appeared, they disappeared, leaving Lucas to wonder if he’d seen anything at all. As he refocused his attention within the car, he noticed Roberts staring off in the same direction. He couldn’t claim to know the older agent very well, but Lucas didn’t need to in order to read his face. Roberts looked concerned - or maybe just curious - but in any case, he had noticed the movement in the window as well.

The car pulled up to one of the larger buildings – one which looked suspiciously similar to Lucas’ dorm at Stanford - and stopped. The driver did not move from his seat, or turn the engine off, but Roberts threw his door open. Lucas and Tony took this as an indication that they were getting out as well.

“Alright boys, grab your gear from the trunk. I’ll be right back,” John directed from over his shoulder before heading towards the front steps of the building with the bell tower. Lucas glanced in the direction where Roberts was headed, and saw a woman walking to meet him. While he was naturally curious, he knew he wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation, no matter how hard he tried. 

Tony grinned at Lucas and hurried out of the back seat. It was very obvious to Lucas that his friend was incredibly excited. The mere speed at which he reacted was enough to convince even a complete stranger. Lucas couldn’t help but smile in response. He wasn’t that self-absorbed that he couldn’t wish good things for his friend. Everyone who’d been on seaQuest when Tony first came onboard knew that the older man’s first inclination was to run – or swim – away as fast as he could. He wasn’t exactly a willing recruit. It was nice to see that the Warrant Officer had finally found his stride and was being rewarded for his hard work and growth in responsibility. At that moment, Lucas made a conscious effort to stop thinking of the assignment as being forced upon him. Rather, he was going to embrace the situation as a learning opportunity and was going to make the most of it – for his own benefit as well as for Tony.

As he rounded the rear of the vehicle, Lucas was met with a bag tossed towards him. With quick reflexes, he reached out to grab it before it hit him in the face.

“Nice catch, dude,” Tony closed the trunk, shouldering his own duffle. “Nice to see you didn’t get too soft on your beach vacation.” He chuckled and ducked as Lucas feigned a smack to the back of his head.

The two young seaQuest crew members stepped out of the driveway and onto the path in front of the large dormitory-style building. As they did, their transport vehicle pulled away behind them. They both stood staring up at the building, not sure if they should enter, or just wait outside. 

“Hey, check it out Lucas. There are bars on the windows of the top two floors.” 

Lucas looked up to where Tony was pointing, and then turn to do a quick sweep of the surrounding buildings.

“That’s weird. None of the other buildings have them.”

“You’d think they’d want to put bars on the bottom floors, not the top.” Tony frowned. “Maybe there’s somethin’ up there worth stealin’.” He shot his friend an animated grin.

Lucas was just about to open his mouth to comment on the antiquated burglar bars, and their ineffectiveness for keeping criminals out, when Roberts reappeared behind them with another man.

“Gentlemen, this is Training Commander James Williams – affectionately known to everyone here at COA headquarters as ‘Chief’.” Roberts made the cursory introductions. “Chief, I believe these are the last two recruits to arrive. Ensign Lucas Wolenczak and Warrant Officer Tony Piccolo of seaQuest.”

Lucas wasn’t exactly sure whether he was supposed to salute the Training Commander, or shake his hand. His time with the UEO Navy dictated that he should follow the appropriate military protocol, but the COA wasn’t exactly what he’d consider a very militaristic institution. Instead, he took his cue from the older man, who stepped forward to greet each of them with a hearty handshake and a friendly grin. 

“Welcome to Campus, Recruits. It’s good to have some fresh meat to train. Over the course of the next few weeks, you’ll be seeing a lot of me as well as the rest of the instructors. Let’s get you sorted, shall we?”

“That’s my cue to leave. Thanks, Chief.” Roberts held out his hand to shake the Chief’s, and turned to Tony and Lucas. “I’ll see both of you around, but probably not until you are through with basic training and assigned a specialty focus.” 

Lucas glanced nervously at Tony, who looked slightly less excited than ten minutes ago. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who found the thought of basic training to be daunting. They’d both managed to do their jobs – and do them well – on seaQuest without having to go through the grueling physical training mandated of all the Naval Academy, OCS, and enlistees of the UEO Navy, and Lucas wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Sure, he’d spent a lot more time on running and strength training since signing up, but he would hardly consider himself to be in top physical form. He had a funny feeling that the next week was going to be painful.

Chief nodded towards the door, and the new “recruits” followed him inside. As they made their way into the brick building and up several flights of stairs, Lucas found himself honestly intrigued by the possibility of this assignment. Chief made mention of each of the floors – and what could be found on each – as well as some of the details of what could be expected of them over the next few weeks. Apparently, this one particular building was the center of life for new recruits. The first floor housed the mess and a makeshift store for basic personal supplies; the second was where the majority of their classroom training would take place, and the top two floors were set up as a dormitory. 

Lucas adjusted the bag strapped over his shoulder and took the last two steps to the top floor, trailing behind both Tony and the Chief. As the thick firewall door swung open, he was greeted by a somewhat cozy looking living room. Unlike the Officers Common Room that Captain Bridger had designed for the second seaQuest – and the one that Lucas had very little opportunity to use now that he was an officer – it actually looked inviting. The couches were thick and plush and very visibly well used. They were the kind of sofas one could sink into and not want to get out of. Something you’d find in your home, not in the military. A large monitor was mounted on one wall, while the opposite wall was comprised of floor-to-ceiling shelves, stuffed with books. 

While he craved the chance to go through each of those books to see if there were any there that he had not read yet wanted to, he did not hesitate as the Chief led them through the doors to the right. 

“Recruits, this is the men’s section of recruit housing. You may have noticed the door on the opposite end of the common room. That will take you to the women’s section. While we are not going to monitor your movements 24/7, you are prohibited from entering their section barring an emergency.” Giving Tony a knowing look, the Chief continued. “And, by emergency, I mean a life or death situation.”

Lucas grinned as Tony plastered a “who me?” expression on his face. Either the Chief knew more about them than their personnel files would indicate, or he could read recruits very well. Lucas suspected it might be a little bit of both. They were at COA headquarters. He was pretty sure that when this covert agency did their background research, they left no stone unturned, regardless of how small that stone was.

The Chief raised his eyebrow at Tony’s innocent expression and Lucas could see a hint of a hidden smile. He was not easily fooled. Regardless, he nodded towards a room whose door was currently standing open. “Your accommodations, men.” He stood aside as both Tony and Lucas walked in to what was to be their home for the next several weeks. 

The room was small and very much resembled the undergraduate dorm rooms at Stanford. However, unlike his college days, he was going to share these close quarters with two roommates instead of just one. On the right was a single bed, which apparently had already been claimed by a recruit who must have arrived before them. On the left, was a bunk bed. Before he had the chance to move, Tony had tossed his own duffle on to the top bed. 

“Sorry, Luke.” Tony shrugged, “Can’t have you take the top here too.” 

“Hey! You can’t complain. You’ve had my bed for weeks.”

“Yeah, but unless you want to give it up for good, I’m taking this one here.” With that, Tony gave a wide smile. 

Lucas didn’t argue. He really wasn’t that bothered by taking the bottom bunk. He just had to save face and pretend he was. It was part of their “thing” and he knew it would be out of character not to.

“Fine. Take it. Just watch your back, Tony. You might not be that lucky in the next poker game.”

“If you two are done bickering, there are a few other issues we need to take care of before you can join the rest of the recruits.”

Lucas found himself standing a little straighter, and beside him, Tony did the same. For a brief moment, their usual banter had led them to forget where they were and why they were there. Chief had entered the room and opened one of the lockers at the foot of the bunk. Lucas had failed to notice them before. 

“You have until 1300 hours to get yourselves out of uniform, into the standard COA recruit kit and ready for orientation. In each of the lockers, you will find everything you need in terms of clothing, for the next few weeks. You are expected to wear only what we provide you. There shall be no evidence of where you come from or who you previously worked for. That means nothing with the UEO or seaQuest insignia. Unless in physical training, water training, or mock training, your uniform will consist of these.”

Chief tossed a pair of navy blue cargo pants to each of them, followed by a white t-shirt. 

“All personal items can be stored in your bags under the bed. You won’t be needing them for the duration of your stay. If you’re one of the lucky few who make it through recruitment training and are assigned placement within the COA, you will be expected to send your uniforms – with your transfer request – to the UEO.” Chief nodded at both men and indicated to the door. “I’ll leave you to change. If you hurry, you might have a few minutes to grab a bite before you are expected in the training classroom.”

“Sir?” Lucas stopped the training commander before he could leave. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are there so many rooms? I mean, if each of the rooms houses two to three recruits, there’s got to be space for at least 35 to 40 on each floor. Why keep the recruit classes under twelve?”

Chief paused for a minute. “The COA has been doing this a while – long before I took over recruit training – and the class sizes have fluctuated over that time. In the beginning, when the COA was first established, there were closer to 50 recruits per class. Of those 50, only a small percentage would make it. Now, we keep our eyes open for individuals who fit our needs. Watch them, monitor them, and then bring them in for training if they are interested. We don’t need hundreds of agents. Just the best the UEO nations have to offer. The more selective we are, the higher the chances that all our recruits can be assigned to active duty.”

“So what’s on the floor below this one?” Lucas was genuinely curious and it didn’t appear as though Chief minded his questions. In fact, he was met with a chuckle.

“You are already starting to live up to your reputation, Mr. Wolenczak.” 

Lucas wasn’t sure what to make of this comment, but he assumed it had something to do with his incessant need to question authority figures. 

“We have a number of agents who are assigned both long and short-term assignments. They all return to campus at the end of their terms to debrief and get reacclimated to life in the United States. Some of the agents come back from hostile environments, others spend years in areas rife with political corruption – deep undercover. These agents are housed on campus until they are reassigned internationally, or until they decide it’s time to move to off-campus housing. It could be months to years before covert agents are sent back into the field.”

Tony was staring at Chief with a hint of awe in his eyes. Lucas realized that his friend really had no idea what the COA was really about. His description of the non-organization was limited to what Roberts had told them in the past few days. Lucas had been privy to the classified information for over a month. He’d seen Roberts in action. Seen what COA agents were really capable of.

Chief stared at Tony, almost as though he was could read the younger man’s mind. “Mr. Piccolo, the decision to join the COA is a life-long decision. Once you pass training, and choose to stay, you will eat, live, breathe the job. It’s a life-style change you have to embrace if you really want to be part of the team. Most agents end up completely cutting all family out of their lives. In fact, it’s encouraged for an undercover agent. You must be willing to sacrifice all aspects of your life.”

Chief turned his attention back to Lucas, “Are you willing to do that, recruits?”

Lucas chewed his lip nervously. He knew, that in order to keep his cover, he needed to agree, but his gut was screaming at him to tell the Chief where he could shove it.

“Sir, I have no family to cut off.” He stared at the older man, attempting his best poker face.

“Yeah. Me either. seaQuest is our family,” Tony added.

“Well, gentlemen. You’ll have to distance yourselves from your boat as well.” Chief turned to leave. “I’ll see you at orientation.” 

“Don’t know about you, Lucas, but I’m getting a feelin’ that this place is way more hard core than I expected.” Tony looked somewhat nervous as he watched the agent leave the room.

“You have no idea.” Lucas mumbled under his breath and turned to examine the clothes he was holding. Compared to the uniforms that a lot of the armed services were required to wear, these were kind of nice. Sure, they weren’t going to be as comfortable as their work coveralls on seaQuest, but they sure beat the khaki ones.

Tony appeared to shake off the air of concern that was hovering just beneath the surface and plastered on his usual carefree attitude. “Check it out, Luke. Number 7.” Tony spun around to expose the large number seven on the back of his shirt. “What are you?”

Lucas turned the shirt over in his hands to see a large 8. He lifted it for his friend to see. On the front of the shirt, over the left breast pocket he saw “Wolenczak” printed as well. Apparently, they’d had plenty of time to prepare for the two seaQuest crew members arrival. At least, they knew well enough in advance to get the accurate size clothing as well to get those items personalized.

“I’m beginning to think that they wouldn’t have taken ‘no’ for an answer. How ‘bout you?” 

Lucas saw that Tony was already dressed and was pulling out of his footlocker additional articles of clothing – each with the same number and name.

“Pretty sure they aren’t used to anyone telling them ‘no.’” 

Lucas opened his own locker to get a better look at what they’d been assigned: white t-shirts, athletic shorts, swim trunks, a fleece, and a sweat suit, in addition to white socks, boxers and undershirts. He looked at Tony and shook his head. “We even have to wear COA-issued underwear. Non military, my ass.”

Tony chuckled and pushed his duffle under the bed. He’d already shoved recruit kit back into the locker and slammed the door. “You done?”

“Yeah. Just about.” Lucas pulled the shirt over his head and following his friend’s lead, pushed his own bag under the bunk. Unlike Tony, he folded his COA items before putting them back in the locker. Even if they claimed to not have a military affiliation, he wasn’t so sure he’d want to be caught if they had room checks. While he wasn’t sure if this training would be run like the Navy or Army’s, he’d heard enough horror stories from his crewmates and didn’t want to be caught off guard. Better to be on the safe side. He glanced at his watch quickly. They didn’t have long before they had to be in the training room.

“Want to see if we can get some food?”

Almost as if on cue, Tony’s stomach grumbled.

“I’m going to take that as a ‘yes,’” Lucas laughed. 

“Sounds good to me.” 

They let the door close behind them, and made their way back down the hall and into the common room. The layout was simple and it took little effort to find their way to the mess.

Lucas stopped in his tracks on the other side of the door. This was hardly what he’d call a mess. ‘Cafeteria’ didn’t give it justice either. It looked like a super-sized family dining room. Sure, there were multiple tables set up in the space, but they were all made from solid wood, rather than the man-made materials you would expect to see. The room was not crowded, but it certainly wasn’t empty. Despite the time of day – which was well past the normal lunch hour - there were several people sitting at the tables with food on one side, and papers on the other. At first glance, he couldn’t even tell where they were supposed to get their food. However, Tony did not have the same problem. He made a bee line to the back of the room, and Lucas followed. 

There, Lucas saw what Tony had; a food line complete with a little lunch lady with grey hair. He giggled in spite of himself. 

“Dude.” Tony pointed at his plate, which he’d filled in haste. “You better hurry up.” 

Lucas grabbed a pre-made sandwich, not looking to see what exactly was on it, and a bottle of water and followed his friend to a half empty table. It wasn’t until he was sitting that he realized Tony had led them to a table with four other recruits. It was somewhat difficult to miss the large numbers glaring from the back of their shirts, and he was conscious of how obvious he must be as well. It was apparent that the members of the small group were young, around the same ages as Lucas and Piccolo – not counting the ten years they didn’t age. The COA appeared to have a type for their recruits and it was somewhat obvious from the get-go what that was: young, eager, career-driven, and Lucas could only surmise, malleable. To him, it seemed as though he and Tony would stick out immediately.

Not one to make the first move in a crowd of strangers, he fidgeted with the lid to his water bottle and gave a half smile to the first person he made eye contact with. Tony, never intimidated in new situations, extended his hand to the recruit directly to his left.

“Tony Piccolo, seaQuest. Me n’ my buddy, Lucas, here, just arrived.”

“Sam West. FBI.” The clean-cut agent’s introduction was clipped and he sat tall in his seat even as he shook Piccolo’s hand. While Lucas would have pegged him for a Marine, he wasn’t surprised that that Recruit Number 6 – as indicated by his shirt – was with the FBI. He filled the stereotype quite nicely. 

“Hi, I’m Anna Shelton.” A small, blonde woman gave them both a quick wave and grin from the opposite end of the table. 

Lucas felt Tony nudge him in the ribs from under the table, and he countered with a sharp kick to the shin. He knew immediately what Piccolo was thinking. Anna was young and pretty and therefore sure to catch the Warrant Officer’s eye. 

“I’m sorry, but did you say you were from seaQuest? I’m a communications and PR officer with Glen Corps Technology, and I’ve been following the seaQuest story for years.” Anna’s eyes narrowed and Lucas felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze. “You wouldn’t happen to be Lucas Wolenczak, would you? The same Wolenczak that disappeared with seaQuest for ten years and who claimed to have been recently captured by Macronesian forces?”

“Uh, yeah.” Lucas responded, cringing slightly. “Nice to meet you, Anna.” He wasn’t exactly thrilled with being identified with those two events. He understood the association with seaQuest. It’s not surprising that the disappearance of a submersible that size and of that fame had generated public interest, but he really didn’t want to be known as the guy that was held captive. He certainly didn’t want to talk about it with anyone other than his close friends, and he really hoped that she wouldn’t push any further.

“Wow.” She turned to Tony, “so that would make you Anthony Piccolo then.” 

Lucas and Tony exchanged a concerned look. This woman looked much too excited to be at the same table as them and it appeared as though she’d piqued the interest of the other recruits. 

“Yeah. Tony Piccolo, at your service. “

“Hey Tony, nice to meet you. Andre Claude.” The man to Anna’s right stood up to shake Piccolo’s hand, then turned to Lucas. “Lucas.”

“Well, I guess that makes me the last in this impromptu round of introductions.” The final unidentified recruit, a slender brunette, with hair pulled into a harsh bun, stood up. “Elizabeth – Liz – Butler.” She spoke with a strong English accent, not unlike Doctor Westphalen. “I’m sure we will have plenty of time to get to know each other over the course of the next few weeks, but if we don’t move now, we will most certainly be late for orientation.” 

The sound of six chairs scraping against the hardwood floor filled the room as the group of recruits made a hasty run for the door. Lucas glanced at his watch to see that they had barely two minutes to make it up the one flight of stairs and into their training room. At this point, he wasn’t sure what to expect and he would be lying if he wasn’t a little bit curious and even a little more excited.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Filing into the assigned classroom, Lucas was relieved to see that the instructor – or instructors – had yet to arrive. This gave him a few extra minutes to find a seat and get comfortable. As he slipped into an empty chair, Lucas fell back on his old routine of picking his seat in a classroom – second row slightly off center. He had his reasons and they’d always worked well in the past. Close enough to the front that he wouldn’t go unnoticed, but not directly in the professor’s line of sight. He’d learned in his freshman year at Stanford, that other students didn’t like a know-it-all. While he wasn’t going to hold back, he certainly didn’t want the instructor to automatically defer to him when the rest of the class was silent. No, that was not the way to make friends.

Shaking his head, Lucas pushed those early memories away. He was no longer a gangly kid amongst young adults. Based on the appearance of his fellow recruits, he was with peers, and needed to remember that he no longer stuck out like a sore thumb. John had mentioned that the COA liked to bring them in young – get them trained early – and he hadn’t lied. Ignoring their missing ten years, both Lucas and Tony appeared to fit the age requirement. If he had to guess, he’d say that only one of the other six recruits looked older than 25. Of course, it was one of the two recruits who hadn’t been at lunch for the hasty introductions. He was sitting several seats back, chatting casually with a younger man – the last of the six. Both looked as though they’d been sitting there a while and had had more of a chance to get to know each other. 

The older man threw his head back in a laugh and for a fleeting moment made eye contact with the younger of the two seaQuest crew. Lucas gave a sheepish smile in return, embarrassed that he was caught staring. The other man, visibly younger, turned to see what had grabbed the other’s attention. Lucas groaned internally. Great. Now these guys think I’m a nosey freak.

Fortunately, Lucas was saved from further embarrassment by the loud thud of heavy books being dropped on a desk. The recruits still standing scrambled to their seats, and each of them sat tall as the new arrival turned to scrutinize the fresh faces. In the rush for seats, Tony had made his way next to Lucas and gave him a quick nudge in the ribs. They had both expected Chief to lead the orientation – he was their training commander after all – but apparently they were wrong. Lucas shrugged in response and turned his attention back to the front of the room. 

The instructor rounded the desk and approached the first row of seats. Standing straight, with arms behind his back, the instructor took his time looking each and one of them over. Lucas found this very disconcerting and he could sense Tony squirming in his seat. 

“Welcome to Hell, ladies and gentlemen,” he stated. “Take a minute to enjoy the moment. After today, your lives will belong to the COA. Every waking minute will be spent in the classroom or on the training field, with one of our instructors whipping your asses into shape worthy of the agency. If you can’t hack it, or if you even have the slightest hint of doubt, you can hightail it out of here right now.” The instructor’s pause was long, giving ample time for every person to feel the weight of his words. Like everyone else, Lucas didn’t move. Whether he liked it or not, he and Tony were there to get a job done. He wasn’t going to back down before they’d even tried.

“Good. In that case, I’m going to be both your best friend and worst enemy for the duration of your stay. Most of you have met Chief, and he’s probably said the same thing, but don’t believe him. My bite is far meaner.” The lean middle-aged agent leaned forward on the desk in front of him, giving the class a glare that could only validate his words, before relaxing into a huge grin. 

Lucas let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“Abe Donovan. I’m the primary classroom instructor for all new recruit classes, and my role at COA is as a strategic analyst. You can call me ‘Sir’ or ‘Donovan.’ It’s your call. We don’t really have too much use for official ranks here. My only requirement is that you refer to everyone on this campus with the respect that they deserve – including Hetty our resident lunch lady.” Donovan grinned. “If she decides that she likes you bunch, she may even make some of her famous apple pie. Never turn down the pie.” 

A soft chuckle broke the silence amongst the recruits and it was almost as though the tension of the room dissipated within seconds. Lucas wasn’t sure which of them had broken the ice, but he was thankful. Around him, he could sense the recruits relax their posture – just a hair. 

“All right. Today we will begin what I can only affectionately refer to as ‘Orientation 101.’ Consider it a breather before we really put you to work. After today, your schedule will be mapped out hour to hour from the moment you wake up, until lights out. There are no exceptions. If you don’t think you can handle it, we’ll get you an escort off campus and organize transport home.” Donovan reached back onto the table for a stack of papers and files. “You’ve probably noticed that each of you has been assigned a number. We don’t usually use this in the classroom, but it’s important in your field and tactical training. We have a number of experts within this facility who will take over specific training modules. They don’t have time to learn each and every one of your names and will often need to call out at you from a distance. That’s where the numbers come in. Become one with your number. It’s now part of your identity.” He handed the loose sheets of paper to the nearest recruit – Liz – and indicated for her to take one and hand the rest on. 

“Each of you has been assigned a mentor based on your perceived area of expertise. With the exception of two of you, your mentor is the very same person who persuaded you to join this recruitment class.” Donovan flipped open the first file in his hands. “Recruit number seven. Anthony Piccolo. Warrant Officer. UEO Navy. seaQuest.” He dropped an exceptionally large spiral ring book in front of Tony. “Your mentor is Maggie Singer.” The mention of her name brought a quiet murmur from the back of the room. The instructor ignored the apparent familiarity of the woman’s name and his steely eyes made contact with Tony. “She’s especially interested in your unique aquatic - - skills.”

With Donovan’s attention directed at the next recruit’s folder, Tony nudged Lucas with his elbow. “Hey, am I supposed to know who this broad is?”

“Maybe. She’s only the most decorated Olympic gold medalist swimmer in all history.” Lucas grinned when he saw his friend frown. Tony obviously had no idea who she was. “She beat Michael Phelp’s record by winning eight gold medals for in the 2016 summer Olympics.”

“Uh, yeah. Still not ringin’ any bells.” He shrugged. 

They both turned their attention back to Donovan, who was currently handing out their packets as he went through the recruit files. As the man had moved from one recruit to the next, Lucas learned the names of the two they had yet to be introduced to: Niko Brown – former Army Ranger and field medic – and Dominic Morales. They had learned of a few backgrounds at lunch, but during this orientation session, it was made clear that their expertise and experiences were all very different. Liz Butler was a young MI5 agent; Andre Claude came from a large city police department where he served on the bomb squad unit, and Dominic was a COA logistics technician. He wasn’t exactly sure what that entailed, but Lucas was aware that the guy was hoping to make a career change within the agency.

“Mr. Wolenczak.” Donovan handed Lucas the last of the binders. “We have a number of agents who are interested on getting their hands on you. For now, John Roberts will be your mentor, but depending on where your training leads you, that may change.

“Thanks.” Lucas pulled the packet closer and glanced at the top sheet. Donovan had not been kidding when he’d said their days would be mapped out from start to finish. Apparently, their classroom time was focused on strategic analysis, political history, and COA accepted protocol. Their physical training looked a lot more interesting: basic training, hand –to-hand combat, and weapons training. Later, they would move onto strategic operations, mock scenarios and specialized training in whichever field they ended up being assigned. Based on their reason for being sent on this assignment, Lucas assumed they’d immediately get him into the computer system so that he could attempt to track down the mole. Looking at the schedule for the next few weeks, he wasn’t sure when that would actually happen. Lucas knew that Roberts was already working on sniffing the mole out, but besides him, they hadn’t pulled anyone in to work on finding an electronic trail in fear of alerting the culprit. 

Lucas turned to Tony who was flipping through the pages of his binder; his face easy to read. It was apparent that his friend was concerned about the vast amounts of new information they would be forced to learn and the ease – or lack thereof – of absorbing that information. It wasn’t easy for him to get through the tome - otherwise known as Officers Training Manual – required for the OCS exam, but Tony had done it. He did have the help of Lonnie, but Lucas knew Tony had put a large amount of effort into improving both his reading and problem solving skills. He made a mental note to help Tony as much as he could in studying. Lucas hadn’t been such a good friend when Tony felt he needed help, and had been a little hurt that his bunkmate hadn’t even asked him, choosing instead to go directly to Lonnie. In retrospect, if their positions had been reversed, he wouldn’t have asked himself either. When he’d first signed on as an ensign, he was pompous, self-righteous, and a bit of an ass. Since then, he’d been brought down a few pegs by Captain Hudson, and was learning that he really wasn’t anything special – just another soldier in this “conflict” with Macronesia.

The instructor, who had turned to the front of the class and activated a screen, which dropped down from the ceiling, interrupted Lucas’ thoughts.

“Let’s get started. We are going to start with basic protocol this afternoon. Please turn to page five in your binder.”

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Several hours later, Lucas found himself wandering around the center courtyard of Campus. He’d left Tony in the dining hall, regaling the other recruits with some of their more humorous adventures on seaQuest. Of course, they both knew what was classified, and therefore off limits, but there were plenty of escapades that the UEO didn’t feel were important enough to protect. When he’d slipped out, Piccolo had been recounting a practical joke that had gone slightly awry - at his own expense. He had the other recruits doubled over with laughter, and Lucas took this opportunity to sneak out without drawing attention.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t enjoy the light banter and reminiscing about lighter, less stressful times, but he was feeling more and more uncomfortable around Anna. Despite the ‘no fraternizing with your fellow recruits’ rule, she kept finding her way next to him and was getting uncomfortably close. He wasn’t so concerned about how she leaned into him to speak, or how she tossed her hair over her shoulder suggestively. He didn’t even mind the small smiles she appeared to reserve for him. I mean, he was a guy after all, and he didn’t particularly mind having a pretty girl practically throw herself at him, but the questions she was asking made him feel uneasy. It felt almost as though she was trying to needle information about seaQuest and the crew out of him

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. He was just paranoid. That must be it. Months of being on board the UEO’s pride and joy in the middle of the current “conflict” with Macronesia, was just increasing his sense of awareness. He constantly felt on alert, questioning the validity of even the smallest things. His most recent stint with John and Freeman on Macronesian soil had done nothing but aggravate his increasing difficulty in trusting new people.

It was a brisk evening. As he had never been to Maine before, Lucas had no idea that August evenings could be this cool. He regretted not grabbing his fleece from his locker before heading out for a stroll. He walked silently to a bench on the far edge of the green, and plopped down onto the seat. Leaning his head against the wooden backrest, he stared at the dimming sky. It wasn’t late – just past 1900 hours – but the sun was already setting. Squinting, he could just make out the dim appearance of the stars that would soon be a prominent part of the night sky. Lucas smiled as he closed his eyes. One of his favorite activities from his recent two weeks on Bridger’s Island was just sitting outside and staring at the stars in the Caribbean nightscape. He could almost imagine himself there right now; except on the Island, there was never complete silence. Without the sounds of boats, or engines, or even voices, you could always hear the lapping of the water against the dock; of a bird soaring overhead, or the insects chirping from within the trees. 

Here, there was nothing, but the quiet hum of cicadas in the trees. It was eerie. Lucas frowned and lifted his head to look around the very empty courtyard. Other than himself, he couldn’t see anyone else around. In fact, the dining hall had been very empty when they had all made their way there at the end of their first classroom session. In comparison to the late lunch crowed earlier, the dining hall had been devoid of anyone but the recruits and cooking staff. The COA staff on site seemed to have disappeared. From what they had been told about people who live on Campus, surely there should be a few people walking around? Eating?

Lucas wasn’t sure why, but his attention was drawn to the building with the bell tower. The same one he’d noticed earlier, and the one in which Roberts had disappeared into briefly upon their arrival. Unlike the majority of the other buildings, this one appeared to be the main ‘hub’ of COA. During orientation, Donovan had briefly run through the layout of campus, pointing out the locations of key centers: classroom, shooting range, aquatic center and the athletic field where they’d start their grueling physical training the next morning. Of the cluster of other buildings on Campus, the bell tower building was identified as the primary headquarters for field operations. This is where the Director of Operations had his office, and where the majority of details surrounding each assignment were handled. This was also where Lucas expected to do most of his work with the data and computer security systems. 

While the rest of Campus appeared to be a ghost town, HQ was the exact opposite. Through the windows, he could see the glimmer of lights and the shadows of individuals moving back and forth. For whatever reason, this building was humming with activity, leaving the rest of the place as quiet as a cemetery. Lucas wasn’t sure if this was normal for the COA. He hadn’t been there long enough to get a feel for how the agency functioned. Outside of his experience with John as a captive, he really didn’t know much about the COA at all.

Almost as if on cue, Lucas saw the HQ door open and a lone figure slip out. There was no hesitation in his steps as he started walking directly towards the bench where Lucas was sitting. Lucas found himself sitting a little straighter in his seat, and moving a little closer to the edge. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, his body wound tight enough to be able to respond at the smallest hint of a threat. He didn’t realize how nervous he was – how on edge – until he recognized the shape and walk of the man. He released his grip on the wooden seat, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Roberts.

The older man took the empty space next to Lucas and stretched his legs out in front of him, taking a long look at the empty green.

“What? You have a tracking system on me already?” 

“Hard to hide here, Lucas. There are eyes everywhere.” John indicated towards the trees.

Lucas only then noticed a glint amongst the leaves. The last bits of sunlight hitting small pieces of reflective material - security camera.

“I should have figured as much.”

“We have finest security system in the world at work here. The COA can track every individual on our Campus, and within close proximity to Campus, using cameras, voice recognition, motion sensors and satellite images.” Roberts turned to face the younger man. “The team here is constantly making corrections and updating what we can and cannot do. As far as we know, there is no other agency or government in the world – with maybe the exception of the Chaodai – that has as sophisticated a system as the COA.”

Lucas chewed his bottom lip, contemplating whether or not he should broach the issue of his current discomfort. John knew him well. He was naïve if he thought otherwise. The man had done background research on his personal history, his personality, his interests, and who knows what else, before they’d first met. He could read Lucas almost as well as his friends could. It would be ridiculous to hide his unease from the man, but he thought that maybe he was reading too much into the situation. The worst John could do was laugh at him and call him paranoid.

“Want to tell me why you’re sitting out here by yourself in the dark?” Roberts had sensed Lucas was a little off. His question was quiet - - very different to his usual commanding tone. 

“Something’s not right.” Lucas wiped his mouth nervously. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what was bothering him. Just, his gut was telling him that something was amiss.

Almost immediately, Lucas realized that Roberts had not reacted in surprise. In fact, he just sighed.

“What makes you think that?”

“Where do you want me to start?” The younger man frowned, his brows furrowed in contemplation. “The bars on the dorm windows, the fact that there is no one around, except in there,” he pointed at the HQ building, “and this place is freakishly quiet.” He turned to face John. “Something just doesn’t feel right and I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Are you sure you’re not interested in becoming a COA agent, Lucas?” Roberts gave him a half smile, and leaned forward on the bench, placing his elbows on his knees.

Lucas just looked at him questioningly. He wasn’t quite sure how his gut feeling and his future with the COA were related.

Roberts chuckled quietly at his expression. “You have good instincts, kid. That’s an invaluable trait with agents – both in the field and at headquarters.” He sighed. “Seriously though, you’re right.” 

John rubbed his eyes and for a moment, Lucas saw through the tough agent exterior and was shocked at the sudden physical similarities between Captain Bridger and his son. John looked tired – and worried.

“We lost another agent today. She didn’t make her scheduled check-in time.” Roberts paused and cleared his throat. “We don’t know yet if she’s just gone underground until she can be extracted, or if she’s been captured, but we have all available staff searching the grid.”

The worry was evident in the agent’s face and tone. 

“Up until recently, losing an agent was almost unheard of. In the past 6 months, we’ve lost three. All dead. Jen’s the fourth.” John cleared his throat. “She’s my friend. We went through training together.”

Lucas did not immediately respond. In the short time he’d known John, the older man had shown very little emotion but now, now he appeared to be an open book. So unlike the agent he’d been struggling to trust. If the man next to him was the elder Bridger, he would have thought nothing of putting his arm across his shoulders in comfort. But he was not the captain, so Lucas hesitated. Almost as quickly as John’s mask slipped, it settled back into place. The moment had passed, and the agent was back.

Lucas dropped his voice low, to a barely audible whisper, “And this is why you ‘recruited’ me.” It was not a question. He was more or less beginning to understand the severity of the situation. Yes, a mole was suspected. Yes, classified material of the highest security was being compromised. But, most alarming of all was that lives were at stake and several had been lost already. Up until now, he’d been under the impression that the agents’ positions had been compromised. He’d assumed that they’d managed to get out of their assignments as successfully as he and Roberts had. Maybe he didn’t want to know the truth, or maybe he was still just a naïve teenager, but the reality was that people were dying and he could do something about it. If Lucas had doubted his commitment to the assignment before, he didn’t anymore.

Roberts gave the younger man a sideways stare. He didn’t respond immediately, and for a second, Lucas felt that perhaps his statement had not been cryptic enough for the situation.

“Yes. I’m certain the current situation and my reason for wanting you a part of the COA are related.” He did not expand.

The sky was now dark; the green illuminated by individual lamp posts flanking the path – their humming biting through the air formerly devoid of noise. Both John and Lucas looked up as the sound of a door slamming echoed across the green. The sudden thump was followed almost immediately with a burst of laughter – a displaced sound in the somber environment. They watched as the small group of recruits made their way out of the cafeteria and back through the main entrance of the dormitory. Lucas could make out the distinctive shape of Piccolo within their midst, before he too disappeared through the door. No one noticed the two lone figures sitting on the bench at the furthest point on the green.

John slapped Lucas lightly on the back before pulling himself to standing. “You should follow them in, kid. You’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow.” He gave the younger man a sly grin and shook his head in mock disbelief. “First day of basic training with Chief. I do not envy you.”

Lucas reluctantly followed his lead, looking in the direction of headquarters, before turning back to John. “Are you sure I should wait until we split into specialized training to get into the system?” He stopped. He didn’t want to jeopardize any plans the older agent had, but he was under the impression that time was of the essence. “I mean, won’t it be better to get started now?”

John placed his hand on Lucas’s shoulder, and this time did not remove it immediately. “We have a couple leads. The assigned team is working around the clock on pinning this down. Even if you were to start digging through the system and improving the security of our electronic files right now, it wouldn’t help us find Jen any faster.” He gave Lucas’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, leaned a little closer and whispered, “I need you to prove that I made the right choice in recruitment and make it through the next week of physical training. If I need you in sooner, I’ll find a way to do it without raising suspicion.”

Lucas nodded and John’s hand dropped to his side. 

“Good luck, sir.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lucas.”

He watched as John walked back the direction he had come – back to headquarters. Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets and turned towards the dorms. Right now, he wasn’t really in the mood to make friendly small talk with his fellow and just hoped that most of them were heading to bed. It was still early, but if any of the subtle suggestions were accurate, they’d all be in need of as much rest as possible before the first days of training started with vengeance.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A figure in black slipped through the quiet streets of the sleepy town and passed the wrought iron gates of the public park. Pausing momentarily to look back towards the entrance, the figure turned up the collar of the dark coat. The sun had yet to rise and the air was brisk. While it wasn’t cold enough to see the wispy evidence of each breath, it was definitely enough to bite any exposed skin. Ducking its head lower, the figure started moving again – walking with purpose along the edge of the well-worn path. At the third evenly spaced bench – exactly 30 degrees from the entrance – the figure stopped and turned towards the woods directly behind the seat. One, two, three paces in and the figure stopped again. There on the ground was a large stone, slightly darker than the rest. The figure in black lifted the stone, pulling a rectangular package wrapped in plastic from beneath it. Within seconds, the package was slipped into a deep pocket and a small disk left in its place. In the quiet of the morning, the figure in black’s departure from the park went as unnoticed as the arrival.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

seaQuest

Lt. Henderson moved quickly from the food line in Mess towards the tables, scanning the room for a friend. It was early and the majority of seaQuest’s crew was still sleeping. The few who were awake, were either on active duty or getting ready for the shift change just as she was. She gave a small smile when she saw Lt. O’Neill sitting alone at the furthest table from the food line. Of course, he must have been assigned first rotation of bridge duty this morning as well. Lonnie liked the earlier shift, but much preferred being in the midst of the bustle of activity in the latter part of the morning. Unless they were in the midst of an assignment or a crisis situation, the first shift on the bridge consisted of a skeleton crew. With fewer people on duty, and less ‘action,’ she found it much more difficult to show enthusiasm for routine maintenance and systems checks. 

“Morning, Tim.” Lonnie slipped into one of the open seats at his table. Lt. O’Neill lifted his head at the sound of her voice and immediately closed the text he’d been reading.

“Oh, hey Lonnie. Sorry, I didn’t see you come in.” 

“What’s so interesting?” She pointed towards the thick document he’d pushed to the side. 

“It’s nothing. Just catching up on some background reading before we get to Indonesia. I want to make sure I haven’t missed anything culturally significant over the past ten years.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “Don’t want to insult anyone with cultural insensitivities or my rusty Bahasa.”

“Wait, I thought most Indonesians spoke English?” She paused, fork in the air, obviously confused.

“They do. At least the majority of government officials do, but if the opportunity arises to disembark seaQuest and wander around, I’d like to get a chance to speak the local language. Of course, there are still over 700 living languages spoken throughout the archipelago, but I’m only proficient in Bahasa.”

“Really? Only Bahasa?” Lonnie teased her friend. Despite their constant ribbing, the officers on board all knew how valuable Tim O’Neill was to the boat. His expertise with languages and communications in general were unmatched on seaQuest, and most probably within the UEO Navy as a whole. His proficiency with languages was probably the primary reason Hudson had kept him on the boat. It had been evident from the start, that Tim was having a hard time relating to the new captain. The whole incident with Kimura didn’t help matters either. However, when Lucas had been taken prisoner within Macronesia, and presumed dead, O’Neill had further proved to the captain that he was an invaluable part of the team; determined, driven, and loyal to the core.

“Yeah, well, it’s a relatively easy language to learn.” 

“Sure it is.” Lonnie grinned. “Hey, how do you think Tony and Lucas are doing right now?”

“Probably wishing they were back on seaQuest.” He chuckled. 

Lonnie was just about to respond when she noticed another friendly face moving in their direction.

“Morning, Henderson. O’Neill.”

“Have a seat, Commander.” The young woman gave her commanding officer a warm smile that did not go unnoticed by Tim. “We were just discussing the agony that Lucas and Tony are probably experiencing right now.”

Commander Ford grinned as he pulled out an empty seat. “First morning of OCS. They’ve probably never before experienced the pure agony of basic training. I think I’ve managed to successfully block most memories of my first week of plebe summer. How about you, Tim? Is your first week at the Academy just a distant memory?”

“God no. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget that hell.” The communications officer cringed slightly before continuing. “I wasn’t really known for my physical prowess – “

Lonnie and Ford exchanged and amused look.

“—and the basic training during the first few weeks was almost enough for me to question me being there.”

“But you didn’t.” Commander Ford clapped Tim lightly on the back.

“No, I didn’t. For better or worse.” He grinned at his two tablemates. “At least I knew what was coming and had time to prepare. Seriously, how much notice did those two get before Hudson sprung the news on them?”

“Honestly? About an hour or two.” Jonathan furrowed his brow. “It was quite sudden and I think the captain was a little surprised too. How many times has Piccolo been rejected in the past year? Twice? Then all of a sudden the two of them are heading off with no warning whatsoever.”

“Lucas didn’t even have time to tell Captain Bridger. He called for Lucas last night and I had to inform him that Lucas had been shipped off again.” Tim frowned with the memory. “He did not look very happy.”

“I’ll bet.” Ford turned to Lonnie, “How about you, Lonnie? Any war stories from boot camp?”

She laughed in response. “Unlike you two, I got to slog through my training with the masses of enlisted sailors. No horror stories though. I knew for a long time I wanted to join the Navy, so I had time to train. It still didn’t prepare me for the level of hurt that first week, though. I’m going to have to guess that those two are probably wishing they’d spent more time in seaQuest’s gym right about now.”

“Actually, before his abduction, Lucas spent a lot of time on physical and weapons training.” 

Lonnie looked at Jonathan in surprise. Sure, Lucas had matured over the past few months, and had surprised her with his ability to adjust to a military life, but she hadn’t considered that as a science officer – albeit one that always seemed to get into trouble – he’d take the physical requirements that seriously. Just look at him. He was just as skinny as ever – a beanpole these days – and didn’t look any stronger than the day she’d first met him. She shot a quick look at Tim, who didn’t look nearly as surprised as she felt.

“Don’t look so shocked, Lonnie.” Ford continued. “I think he was feeling like he needed to prove to the captain, himself – to everyone – that he could hold his own in any situation.” Jonathan looked at his on plate, avoiding her gaze as he continued. “Brody and I helped develop a training schedule, and before he died, Jim spent a lot of time with Lucas to make sure that he was on track.” 

Tim nodded in agreement. “I have a vague recollection of Lucas mentioning something about getting more training in, but after being off the boat for so long, I’m not sure if he’s back to himself again.” 

“Probably not. But, after a few weeks at OCS, I can imagine those two will be in the best shape of their lives.” Lonnie glanced at the clock, and scrambled to standing. Fortunately, in between all the chatter, she’d managed to eat most of her breakfast because if she didn’t move fast, she was going to be late.

“I’ve got to run. Tim, are you headed towards the bridge?”

“Yes. Give me a second and I’ll walk with you.” He stood up, gathering his papers, and reached for his tray.

Before she could turn, Jonathan reached out to stop her. “Henderson, I noticed a bit of irregularity in the core reactor readings earlier. I had one of the engineers check it out, but I’d like you to double check.”

“Sure, Commander. I’ll take a look after bridge duty.” Lonnie gave him a half salute as she turned towards the door. “See you later. Coming Tim?”

Lonnie and Tim walked briskly down the corridor towards the Mag-Lev, and she smiled to herself. Commander Ford could have just ordered her to check on the core reactor, but hadn’t. The commanding officer was making a large effort to relate more to the crew, and they all appreciated the effort. With their history – whether it be known to the rest of the submariners on board or not – she appreciated it even more.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

One week later

Lucas shot up in his bed, barely missing smacking his head against the top bunk. Even after a week, the recruits’ wake-up klaxon never failed to scare him out of a deep sleep – his heart racing with the sudden influx of adrenaline. He groaned as his tormented muscles rebelled against sudden movement. Their first week of physical training had been grueling and painful, and they’d felt it in every inch of their bodies. The second day in, Lucas hurt so much that he didn’t think he was going to be able to pull himself out of bed that morning. Thank goodness for their roommate. Neither Lucas nor Tony had considered bringing any form of pain relievers with them. Dominic, having suffered through COA’s version of basic training before, came fully prepared. Between the three of them, they’d gone through a large bottle of analgesics in less than a week. Over time, the muscle fatigue, pain, and sleep deprivation were getting a little easier to endure each morning, but only slightly so. Add to the physical symptoms, the overwhelming amount of information being thrown at them, the recruits were both physically and mentally exhausted.

In the bunk above, he could hear Tony cursing under his breath. At least he was moving. Their 5 am wake up call was loud, jarring, and could quite possibly wake the dead. Not surprisingly, it was still difficult to get Piccolo moving very fast at that hour. Today proved to be an exception, and Lucas would bet money on why. It was their first day within their specified training modules. After a significantly reduced PT session and breakfast, each recruit was heading in a separate direction in order to hone their specialty. He knew that Tony was itching to get in the water, and Lucas wouldn’t deny that he couldn’t wait to get his fingers back on a keyboard. It literally had been weeks since he’d last exercised his skill with a computers – he’d had limited access on Bridger’s Island – and it felt foreign.

“This sucks.” Tony’s legs appeared from the bunk above, dangling for just a second before the older man jumped to the ground. “Feel like I didn’t even sleep. How ‘bout you two?” Piccolo addressed both Lucas and Dominic, who had sprung out of bed at the first sound of the alarm. He was now standing, fully dressed, and grinning at his two roommates who were very visibly struggling to pull themselves to standing.

“Slept like a baby, Tony.” Dominic sat on his single bed to tie his shoes. “And, I know for a fact you did too. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone snore that loud before in my life.”

Lucas chuckled. “Man, you’ve only shared a room with him for a week. You can’t even imagine what he’s capable of.”

“Wolenczak. You’re supposed to have my back.” 

“Hey Tony, you’ve got a little drool on your chin there –“ Lucas managed to duck before his friend’s hand reached out to smack him on the back of the head.

“Very funny.” 

It wasn’t long before all three of them were dressed and ready for early morning physical training. 

“Ugh.” Tony moaned, bending down to tie his shoes. “If I can’t stand back up, one of you going to help me?” 

Lucas grabbed his friend by the upper arm and practically dragged him out the door. “Hurry up, ya whiner. If you don’t get moving, you’re going to earn all of us extra pushups. I’d avoid Liz like the plague for the rest of the day if that happens.”

Tony stumbled behind his friend, muttering quietly under his breath, “that chick is scary.”

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Lucas slowly advanced the stone staircase leading the front entrance of the HQ building, his legs burning from the 10-mile run they’d had to endure before breakfast. Despite the lethargy of limbs and the constant burning of his muscles, he felt somewhat proud of his physical achievements. He wasn’t the strongest or fastest recruit in their training group, but he wasn’t in the worse shape either. He was managing to hold his own and it felt good. He would never consider himself to be an athlete of any accord, but he much preferred the mandatory long distance runs to calisthenics. 

Surprisingly, Lucas was also finding it relatively easy to slip into a comfortable routine of physical and tactical training, classroom instruction, and working with the other recruits. He was enjoying the challenges thrown at them as well as the strengthening camaraderie within the group. He’d started the training feeling slightly suspicious of the people around him – constantly on the lookout for someone who could be the mole. Within a couple of days, the physical demands had placed the recruits on an even playing field and Lucas had found himself admiring both character traits and the strengths of his cohorts. In particular, Lucas and Tony had developed a growing friendship with their roommate, who was both easy going and easy to get along with, as well as very knowledgeable about the inner workings of the agency. As Lucas learned to relax more around others, they in turn had done the same. Sam was proficient with most hand weapons – pulse pistols as well as knives – and was happy to provide extra help to anyone who wanted it. Anna was no longer digging for more information on seaQuest and her crew – making both Lucas and Tony very uncomfortable – and was now proving why the COA had tagged her as a possible asset to the agency. The woman could spin a good yarn. Her experience as a reporter and in public relations would be valuable to an agency that relied on providing plausible excuses to the public – or to enemy countries – when their agents or missions became more visible than desired. 

Not one within the small group of eight was proving to be disagreeable or difficult to like. Even Liz and her professional, all-business attitude, was beginning to melt around the edges. He’d recently learned that she had a wicked sense of humor, and had them all rolling on the floor with laughter the previous evening at dinner. No, it was difficult to deny that the COA’s recruitment training process was working. They were bonding the way in which all military programs wanted them to, and he didn’t mind at all.

Lucas ascended the last step and took a deep breath. He needed to keep in perspective the reason he was on that campus and enduring the grueling training unleashed on the current class of recruits. He was finally going to get a chance to delve into the depths of the COA’s computer network. At least, the computer genius hoped so. As he hadn’t yet been privy to the details of his specialized training, he knew Roberts wanted him to get in and on his mission as soon as possible without raising questions. On cue, the door swung open before he could reach for the handle.

“Right on time, Wolenczak. Come on in.” Roberts gestured towards the entrance. “COA Commander in Chief Hokstad has requested to meet with you before we get you started in Intelligence Orientation.”

Lucas raised his eyebrows in surprise - Intelligence? – and tried to hide a shadow of a smile. Very cool. So much better than IT security or COA Agent Coordination – both of which had been floated by him as potential areas of expertise.

Roberts gave Lucas’s hair a light tussle as the younger man tried to duck out of reach. “Don’t let it swell your head too much, Kid. We’re still going to have you test our IT security for potential holes, and make you slog through the basics of HQ assignment controls. Right now, we’re still debating where to place you, so expect to be moved around a bit.

“Fine.” Lucas stopped in front of a large antique door - the Commander in Chief’s name printed in gold leaf across the glass pane. Before Roberts could reach up and turn the handle, Lucas stopped him.

“Wait a second. Does he know why you brought me here?”

“You want to know if you are just another recruit to him?” Roberts questioned the younger man.

“Yeah.”

“No, Lucas. He knows you are more than that. He’s very interested in putting your particular skills to work to help the agency solve our current problem.”

“Okay. Thanks.” 

“Let’s go, then.” Roberts turned the doorknob and stepped into a small, well-lit waiting room. Directly opposite the entrance, and across a sea of plush carpeting, sat an older woman engulfed by an extra large desk. The moment she noticed the two visitors, she stood and smiled.

“Agent, the Commander has been expecting you.” She turned to Lucas. “And you must be Mr. Wolenczak. Mariann Harlow. How very nice to make your acquaintance, young man. Please, take a seat. Commander Hokstad will be with you momentarily.” She glanced quickly at Roberts, “He’s currently on an important call.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.” Lucas sat on one side of a floral sofa – one that he imagined would not be out of place in this woman’s home – and Roberts sat on the other end.

“Please, call me Mariann. Everybody does.” She turned back to her desk and pressed a small button on her console. “Sir, Agent Roberts and Mr. Wolenczak have arrived.”

“Now, it will probably be a bit of a wait. Can I get either of you something to drink? Tea? Water?”

“No thank you.” Lucas responded and Roberts shook his head.

“We’re fine. Thanks Mariann.”

Lucas gazed at the waiting room’s décor. It really didn’t strike him as being very “Agency” or military. It looked as though Mariann had been given full discretion to decorate the way she’d wanted. The result was a very comfortable and relaxed environment – perhaps an oasis in the hard environment of a covert agency. 

It wasn’t long before Mariann’s console speaker chirped and she lifted the receiver to her ear in response.

“Alright boys. The Commander will see you now.”


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
Lucas let the more seasoned agent take the lead in entering the Commander in Chief’s office. The door opened slowly to reveal a space in complete contradiction to Mariann’s domain. While her furniture and wall décor boasted various floral prints and a cozy atmosphere, the Chief’s was much more familiar to the ensign, and would not be out of place in any UEO high-ranking officer’s office. The desk, set up directly in front of a large picture window, was a deep, dark, well-polished wood flanked by a United States flag on one side and the scarlet and gold banner of the U.S. Marine Corps on the other.

He’d barely a moment to glance around the room – noting the awards, photographs, and framed degree from the Naval Academy – before his attention was drawn to the man now rising from the seat behind the desk. The COA Commander in Chief appeared to be in his mid to late fifties, with closely cropped grey hair and well-earned lines creasing the corners of his eyes. Lucas wasn’t sure what to expect of the man, but he hadn’t had much time to contemplate those details either. He was, however, slightly surprised that the Commander in Chief did not look any different to the COA agents and instructors Lucas had met to date. If he hadn’t known, he would have assumed that Hokstad was just another aging agent now assigned to HQ duty. However, unlike Secretary General McGath, Bill Noyce, or any other military official, the Commander in Chief was not wearing a suit or uniform. Rather, he was dressed casually in jeans and a warm fleece.

“Please, enter.” Commander in Chief Hokstad motioned to the men to come forward and pointed at the two empty seats in front of him. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

“Thank you, sir,” Roberts waited until his superior had taken his own seat, before sitting down. Lucas followed suit.

“Mr. Wolenczak. Lucas, I’m pleased to finally meet you. Your reputation certainly has preceded you.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s an honor to meet you.” Lucas responded, fingers fidgeting nervously in his lap. 

“As you’ve probably surmised, I don’t usually call new recruits into my office. At least, not unless they’ve done something monumentally dire and are getting an up close and personal view of my boot as I kick their ass out of the training program.” With that, the Commander in Chief grinned. “I can’t say I’ve had that opportunity in recent years, but John here certainly gave us a run for the money back in his early years.”

“Sir –“

“John. You can’t tell me with a straight face that you were the model recruit, can you?”

“No Sir, but we most certainly want the green-horns to think I was,” Roberts responded with a grin of his own.

“Sorry Roberts,” Lucas piped in. “The boat sailed a long time ago on that idea.”

“Glad to see we don’t have a recruit class of suckers this year,” the Commander in Chief winked at Lucas. Then, as quickly as he’d started jesting, Hokstad’s tone became more serious. “Let’s get to business, shall we?”   
Lucas sat straighter in his seat, and noticed out the corner of his eye, that Roberts’ posture changed almost immediately as well. There was a time for pleasantries, and that time was now over.

“Young man,” the Commander in Chief looked down at Lucas, his hands clasped behind his back, and paced in the small space behind his large desk, “John has filled you in on the essential details of why we need your particular skills. He has sufficiently persuaded me that you alone, more so than anyone else in the Agency, can shed some light on how highly classified information is leaking into unfriendly hands.” He paused and narrowed his eyes. “Now, I have the utmost confidence in our team – both on site and stationed around the world – but we have a mole in our midst. We cannot jeopardize our chances of getting the jump on this person by getting too many people involved.”

“I understand, sir.”

“It’s difficult to outsmart a spook, young man, and we’re an agency filled with the best spooks in the business.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lucas, there are only five people – besides yourself and Mr. Piccolo – who know why you are here. John,” Hokstad nodded towards agent sitting to Lucas’ left, “the Head Agent Coordinator, Extractions Chief, the CIO, and myself. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Besides impersonating a recruit, you’re primary objective is to completely rip apart the security of our electronic data. I want to know where we have weaknesses and how those weaknesses are currently being manipulated and the potential for leaks in the future. I don’t care how you do it, or the legality of your actions. All I care about is that you are discreet and that you help us stop the information leak for good. While you’re doing that, we’ll nail down this bastard. Deal?”

Lucas couldn’t hide the ghost of a grin. He kind of liked this guy, and he really liked the fact that he was getting an all access pass to dig through what he could only perceive was one of the most sophisticated data centers in the world. 

“I’ll do my best, sir.”

“Good.” Commander in Chief Hokstad turned to Roberts. “Best get him down to the dungeon then, John.”

Lucas followed Roberts’ cue, and stood quickly. Before he could question what was expected of him next, Hokstad reached out to shake his hand. Lucas was met with a firm grip and a grim smile. 

“Agent Roberts is your primary contact. Anything you find, no matter how small, should be relayed to him. In turn, he’ll get you anything you need to succeed.”

“Thank you, sir.”

With that, both Lucas and John left the man’s office and headed back out through Mariann’s more homey waiting area. The two men walked down the collegiate-style corridors, passing door after door with names etched into the glass. Lucas followed Roberts as he strode towards the winding staircase, down into the lowest levels of the building, through a storage area and into what appeared to be the original boiler room. They stopped in front of an old, scratched metal door. The sign - DANGER! KEEP OUT – both warning of potential danger, and tempting the curious. 

John turned to Lucas and cocked his eyebrow. “You ready, kid?”

“Seriously, Roberts? You’re going to go all ‘cloak and dagger’ on me now?”

The older agent just chuckled and pushed the door open. Lucas wasn’t sure what to expect, but he was surprised by what he found: an actual boiler room. What? Roberts laughed. The astonishment on the younger man’s face must have been really easy to read.

“Come on, kid.” Roberts rolled his eyes and moved back behind one of the larger hot water heaters. 

Lucas followed only to be greeted with yet another door. This one, however, was a bit more familiar to him. Rather than something out of a 1990’s bad spy movie, this one came equipped with the requisite biometric scanners and high tech locking mechanisms.

The Agent pulled a card out of his pocket and slid it into a slot above a keypad mounted on the wall. Lucas tried not to pay attention to the older man’s finger movements as Roberts quickly punched in his security code. The majority of security systems had done away with the antiquated sound code associated with letters and numbers. Over time, it had only become more apparent that they were easy to break into. More than one government agency had learned this the hard way. Almost as soon as Roberts’ fingers stopped moving, a secondary panel retracted from the wall – revealing a state-of-the-art biometric scanner. 

“Very cool.” Lucas was in awe. While he’d been witness to – and broken into – countless high-level security features both within the UEO and as a civilian, he’d never seen anything quite this complex before. If this was the basic security surrounding the physical computer hub, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on the electronic system.

“Don’t worry, kid. We’ll get you set up once you’re inside.” Roberts placed his right hand onto the flat panel, and pressed his forehead up against a guard that had appeared above it.

Lucas watched in fascination as a faint light shone into both of John’s eyes. A retinal and hand print scanner. Nice.

Almost as though the older agent was reading his mind, John added, “It takes a DNA sample too. Just a few epithelials from the hand scan, but it does the trick.” 

The handprint scanner’s backlight glowed green before the entire panel slid back into the fall. It was followed almost immediately with a click and a whirr as the door to the entrance unlocked. Roberts took the handle and pulled it open, revealing yet another small room. This time, instead of more sophisticated technology guarding the COA’s brain hub, the intermediary room was bare except for a few video monitors mounted on the wall. Lucas and John immediately came face to face with a guard standing at attention: a fully charged pulse rifle at the ready. 

“Identification, sir.” The guard’s expression did not change in the least. If he recognized the older agent – which he most certainly must - he did not let on at all. The man’s poker face was impressive. After scrutinizing John’s identification badge, the guard turned his attention to Lucas. 

“Mr. Wolenczak, your temporary identification badge.” The guard held out a small disk similar to Roberts’. “It must be on your person and visible at all times within the confines of the data center. If for any reason you do not have your identification with you, you will not be allowed access. If you misplace your badge within the data center, you will be escorted out until a replacement badge is issued. Is this clear?”

“Understood.” Lucas attached the small badge to the front his shirt, mimicking his mentor’s actions.

The guard strode across the room and entered a code on a panel at another door. “Sir --” 

Roberts placed his hand on the handprint scanner, and waited for the backlight to turn green. An electronic voice filled the room, “Access Confirmed,” as the door clicked unlocked. The guard pulled the handle and nodded to the corridor beyond.

“Thanks,” Lucas slipped past the guard and followed Roberts through the door.

They didn’t have to go far before the corridor opened up into a much larger room. It could hardly be referred to as a room, however. The area was in fact, enormous and currently bustling with activity. To their right, the entire wall was not so much a wall as it was a glass barrier between the main area and the largest, most complex-looking computer server, Lucas had ever seen. He could almost feel his fingers itching to pry some of the paneling off to take a look at the inner workings before he was allowed to actually explore the network. To the far left, was a row of offices, glass walls dividing the enclosed area from the rest of the space. In between were a dozen or more work stations set up with state-of-the art computers, monitors, and from what Lucas could glean, tracking technologies. Of those workstations, approximately half were filled - their occupant busy at work. 

“Follow me,” Roberts nodded towards the row of offices, and Lucas noticed a woman motioning for them to move forward. 

As they walked passed the workstations, a few heads raised from their monitors to look at Lucas. He didn’t appear to be too much of an unexpected arrival as most almost immediately returned their attention to work. Probably used to seeing recruits come through a couple of times per year. Only one individual stared a little longer than others, a scowl etched into his face. 

“Lucas, this is Sarah Durrow. She manages all Agent Coordinators the COA trains and employs,” Roberts made the introductions.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Lucas.”

“Thanks. Nice to meet you.” Lucas took the hand that had been extended towards him. 

“And this,” Roberts pointed at a middle-aged man taking long strides from the enclosed computer server glass door to the office, “is our CIO, Joe Harper.”

“Hey there. Wolenczak, right?” The head computer expert reached the trio with a grin.

“Yes, sir.”

“Great. Let’s take this inside, shall we?” Sarah nodded towards the interior of her office. Lucas followed the three seasoned COA agents into the office, but not before looking back at the open work area. The one person who had scowled at him before, was now bent over his desk, furiously scribbling into a notebook.

He sat in one of the empty seats, closest to the door, while Sarah sat directly in front of him. She reached under her desk to press a button and almost immediately, the clear glass wall and door turned opaque. 

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t look shady in the least.” Sarah winked at him. “Each recruit that comes through has very unique talents. Because of that, their training and future area of expertise is highly tailored to those talents. Every person that arrives through those doors,” she pointed to the security entrance Lucas and Roberts had entered, “comes to my office first. I gather the appropriate team to meet that recruit and we moved forward from there.”

Over the course of the next hour, Lucas was given the finer minutiae on the role he was expected to play both as a COA recruit and as an external covert agent, of sorts. He was given a detailed overview of the role the Agent Coordinators played within the organization as well as the process for gathering the intelligence needed for the Agency to function at the level they needed in order to successfully infiltrate the numerous targets they identified. 

Harper provided Lucas with the necessary access codes – no limits – to delve as deep into the system as he needed. They were all operating under the discretion of the Commander in Chief and the access given to a recruit was unprecedented. As Joe described their computer servers, data systems, and current technological advances, Lucas couldn’t suppress a smile. Even in his younger hacker days, he had never encountered a system this sophisticated – barring the short exposure to the Chaodai sub-fighter – and didn’t know if he had the skills to break it down to expose any weaknesses. That didn’t mean he wasn’t excited to try. 

First order of business, however, was to get set up in his own workstation and to be assigned a handler to shadow for the day. Roberts excused himself, but not before giving Lucas a hearty pat on the back. 

“Do me proud, kid.”

Lucas just rolled his eyes in response. It took him a second to realize that his deep-seated animosity towards the man was all but gone. Rather, he’d reached a point where he was reacting less with defensive, snarky comments, and more with the familiarity of a friend or close colleague. He was somewhat surprised at the realization that he actually kind of liked the guy and even more surprising was the amount of trust he was placing on the man.

“I’ll be around, Lucas. I want to get you into the “brains,” he pointed at the server encased in glass, “sooner rather than later.”

With that, the CIO returned to his own office, leaving Lucas with Sarah. She immediately stepped through the doorframe and waved at someone in the open workstations.

“Gus!”

Lucas couldn’t help but grimace slightly when Gus* stood from his desk and headed their direction. Apparently, the man wasn’t so thrilled with being called forward, as the scowl he had previously sported upon Lucas and John’s entrance, was back in full force. Great. Just great. He was going to spend the day with the one person who was very visibly unhappy with the arrangement. Regardless of how he felt, the young ‘recruit’ tried to wipe his own face of emotion. He wasn’t sure how successful he ended up being, as Gus barely glanced at Lucas before turning his attention to Sarah.

“Morning, Sarah.” Gus’ eyes darted quickly back and forth between the Head Agent Coordinator and the younger man. “I assume this is the new recruit I’m supposed to train.”

If she noticed the Agent Handler’s lack of enthusiasm for the assignment, Sarah did not let on. Rather, she smiled and gave the middle-aged, balding man a warm smile and motioned for him to enter the office further.

“Have a seat, Gus.”

Lucas had a chance to get a better look at the portly man he’d been assigned to shadow. The handler was older than he expected, probably in his late forties, or early fifties. The man was attempting to cover his rapid hair loss with the never stylish “comb over” and, despite technological advances, which had all but made them obsolete, Gus’ eyeglasses had the thickest lenses Lucas had ever seen. A smile, or even the absence of the frown, would have made the man look somewhat jolly, but it appeared as though he had but one look: grumpy. Lucas could only hope that the man’s personality was more welcoming than his appearance.

“Gus, I’d like to introduce you to Lucas Wolenczak, one of this year’s newest recruits.”

“Lucas, this is Gus Reynolds,” she paused as the men shook hands. “Gus is probably one of the more seasoned and experienced Agent handlers we have on our team. “How long have you been with the COA now, Gus?”

“20 years this January.”

“As you can guess, Lucas, Gus’ experience is one of the reasons we asked him to train you on the process associated with tracking and supporting our agents in the field. He’s been a successful handler for a number of our top covert agents, and he’s managed to trouble-shoot more unforeseen scenarios than you could imagine.”

Lucas merely nodded in acknowledgement. Gus remained silent.

“Lucas is going to need to get straight into the system. His workstation has been set up next to yours. Let him get his feet wet in navigating our software, and how our data system works. His security access should be through by now. Once he’s comfortable, I want you to go through your tasks step-by-step. Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Great. I’ll check in with you later this morning.” Sarah casually dismissed them to return to her own responsibilities of managing a larger group of handlers. 

Gus and Lucas took their cue and stood to leave the office. Gus led the way, not muttering a word, and the younger man bit back his natural inclination to make a smart-ass remark. This was neither the time nor the place to aggravate the man further, so he just shoved his hands into his pockets and followed Gus to their workstations.

As per Sarah’s instructions, Lucas was allowed instant access to the COA’s network, databases, and immediately became immersed in line after line of code. After showing Lucas his new workstation, Gus had mostly left him alone. Out of the corner of his eye, the young recruit noticed the older handler casting glances towards him, but besides that, Gus did not seem to mind that Lucas was allowed free reign. If Gus had done his research and found out exactly where Lucas’ expertise lay, he might have been a bit more curious. However, because no such information had been provided to the older handler, the former computer genius was slipping deeper into the system than most people could get during their first year on the job. 

After what could have been minutes or hours, Lucas paused. The pen he’d unconsciously placed in his mouth earlier, dropped onto the desk, and he leaned closer into the screen. What the hell? Huh.

“Problem?” Gus lifted his head and swiveled his own chair to face Lucas.

“Wha-- ?” The younger man was confused. He wasn’t aware he’d said anything out loud.

“Is there a problem?” Gus’ scowl was replaced with annoyance.

“Uh, no. Sorry. I just lost what I was working on.”

Gus just shook his head as he turned back to his own screen, leaving Lucas somewhat relieved. He didn’t really want anyone looking over his shoulder and questioning his actions right now. Contrary to the body language he hoped he exhibited, Lucas had found something that could be important. If he was right, he had just discovered a loop-hole that, with enough creativity and patience, could allow information to flow out of the COA’s secure, firewall protected, computer network, without detection. The computer wizard picked up the pen, tapping it against his leg, trying to figure out the best way to test his theory. 

Grinning, Lucas placed the pen aside and with lightning fast typing, manipulated his way through the code. With one last keystroke, Lucas hit enter, and watched his short message disappear from the screen. If he was wrong about the loop-hole, he would probably hear about it within 24 hours. If he was right, and someone had tampered with the code, then Lucas would mention it to Joe Harper the next day. Even a minor glitch like this one could be a monumental disaster for the COA and could quite possibly be the way in which the mole was leaking classified information off Campus. However, Lucas doubted that finding a hole in the security could be this easy. It had to be more then some modified code that someone surely should have noticed already? Regardless, Lucas was starting to feel much more familiar with the system and didn’t think it would take too long to become comfortable enough to dig much deeper without detection. 

Over the course of the next few hours, Lucas transitioned from becoming acclimated with the system to moving towards understanding the role and day-to-day operations of an agent handler. While Gus never broke into any semblance of a smile, he did appear to warm up to Lucas as he explained the purpose and processes of his position within the agency. The older handler was visibly passionate about his work and took the responsibility of keeping his agents safe, very seriously.

His first experience within this department of the COA opened Lucas’ eyes to the role that was played behind the scenes. With his previous experience with a covert agent – Roberts in Macronesia – Lucas had a vague recollection of the existence of handlers, but hadn’t understood the significance of their roles. He was now starting to understand how in some instances, the handler was the covert agent’s only link to their mission, and quite possibly their lifeline when an immediate escape was required. Each handler was assigned between two and six agents, each embedded at different levels within their target. The more seasoned the handler, the more agents he or she could manage. As the COA never had too many covert agents embedded simultaneously, Gus held the record with four agents active at one time.

Each handler was responsible for keeping tabs on his or her charges at all times. They had to know when they were moving, where they were moving to, and provide a constant feed of information back and forth. Prior to deployment of the covert agent, their handler was instrumental in digging out all relevant classified information related to their assignment and continuously updating the agent on any changes in political climate, good will, and even up-to-the-hour changes in emergency extraction details. At one time, only the handler knew the specific details of the agent’s location. While access to the information could surely be generated for the Commander in Chief, or the Head Agent Coordinator by overriding the security system, the COA felt it in the best interest of the agent for as few people as possible to know the details of the embedded individual movements. The handlers were on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and never took a vacation while one of their agents was deep undercover. With a sidelong look at Gus Reynolds, Lucas wondered when the last time was that the man had taken a break from his job. The constant stress, and never being able to get away, could most certainly be the cause of the frown lines permanently etched into the handler’s face.

Lucas also learned that most of the agent handlers were incredibly adept with computers. He must have looked completely shocked when Gus slipped discreetly into a Macronesian government bank’s computer system, because the man gave what could only have been described as a dry laugh. 

“What? You think you’re the only one who’s a good hacker?”

Lucas was speechless.

“Yeah, we all know about you, Wolenczak. Not much is kept secret around here.” Gus turned back to what he was searching for. “Aha. Got it,” then paused. “Most of the information we get is from using our skills to get in and out of other peoples’ information systems before we can be detected. You’re good, Wolenczak. But we’re all good. Welcome to the Big Pond, Little Fish.” The older man smirked.

Lucas bit his tongue. He was tempted to fill the man in with all he’d achieved as a 16 year old on a military submarine, and what he’d done prior to enlisting with the same boat. Surely most of that information was deemed either no longer relevant to their research needs, or no longer classified, but he still felt the urge to prove himself equal or better. Instead, he attempted a smile. “I look forward to learning more from all of you.” That almost hurt to spit out. But, he had to keep his true intentions close to his chest. If they wanted to think he was just another newbie looking to find his niche within the Agency, then let them.

Lucas spent the day, buried deep in the depths of the “brains” of the Agency. He was introduced to a small group of technical analysts, agent handlers, and those whose role was specifically to keep the technological security ahead of the curve. He joined a few of the friendlier handlers in the cafeteria for lunch, then returned to test his newly established permissions to enter the “dungeon” the way he’d done earlier with Roberts. While his time this particular day was committed 100% to learning this specific track within the COA, Lucas knew he’d have less time in the building over the course of the rest of the week. He still had extraction strategy and simulations to complete, and the grueling physical training was far from over. He knew that until he graduated from a recruit to a sworn-in COA agent – something he wasn’t sure how he felt about anymore – Lucas had to make as best use of his time in this part of Campus as possible. Tomorrow, and for the unforeseeable future, he was going only have half days to learn this particular role.

Despite the friendly reception Lucas had received from most of these members of the COA, the air within the data-center was fraught with anxiety. Lucas wasn’t sure if this was the usual atmosphere deep within the heart of the Agency, or if it was related to the current state of affairs and missing agents. Beneath the smiles and waves, and occasional jokes made by the Intelligence team – which comprised of most of the staff housed deep beneath the HQ building – the air was humming with tension. You could almost feel it ebbing and flowing within those four walls. People moved from one office to another, whispers audible but not translatable, outside of the conferring parties. 

As Lucas prepared to leave for the night – to head back to the rest of the recruits – he noticed a few more agents making their way into the data-center. He recognized a few of the team responsible for the various training techniques the recruits were subjected to, and a few more that he’d never seen before. Before he moved to the exit, Lucas noticed Roberts slip into Sarah’s office. He hadn’t even noticed the agent return. Frowning slightly, Lucas moved past the glass-encased computer terminals and towards the security monitored door. He wasn’t sure if something new had happened, but while he hadn’t been sure earlier, he was not almost certain that this new buzz of activity was related to the mole and the agents who’d recently been compromised.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The new COA recruits were uncharacteristically animated that evening. Like Lucas, they’d all had their first taste in their assigned fields of expertise, and for the most part their training wasn’t as physical as the first few weeks. They were all excited to share their new experiences, and Tony especially was in awe of the state of the art aquatics center, and couldn’t wait to tell his roommate about it. Piccolo’s gills were not widely known amongst the group – per the suggestion of his mentor, the Olympic swimmer and head of the COA’s aquatics division – and he didn’t want to share that little surprise over dinner. He was hardly able to contain his amazement of the equipment, training program, and facilities, and Lucas knew that his friend had a whole lot more he was dying to share with his crewmate. Most of their cohorts had equally exhilarating experiences – or promises of – and were eager to share. 

Compared to Sam and Liz’s description of new and unique firearms they were going to be trained on along their path to becoming covert agents, and Andre’s description of the explosives detonation instruction, Lucas didn’t feel as though his experience with the Agency’s computer and security hub would elicit the same response with the rest of the recruits. Almost as if she could read his mind, Anna smiled knowingly at Lucas then turned her attention to Dominic who was describing his own experience of the day. Of course. He hadn’t seen Anna in HQ today – which was hardly a surprise since he’d spend most of his time underground – but she’d most certainly been holed up within the confines of that building as well. She was recruited to the COA for her background in public relations and communications, and was probably afraid that her field of expertise could not compete on the same ‘excitement scale’ as the rest of them.

After an unusually lengthy meal in the dining hall, Lucas, Dom and Tony headed back towards the dormitory. True to Piccolo’s character, the Warrant Officer had managed to establish semi-regular poker nights in the common room and tonight was one of those nights. To date, they’d only managed to squeeze a handful in, as most nights they were just too exhausted to do anything other than stumble into bed. The game this evening was just like any other at the COA. The recruits had no money to bet with – thanks to the inability to get off campus or to maintain contact with the outside world – and were playing with a stash of poker chips Tony had scrounged up. Lucas wasn’t exactly sure where they’d come from, but knowing his friend, it could be from anyone in the COA. The guy was persuasive and it didn’t take him long to make fast friends with strangers. To sweeten the pot this evening, Piccolo had convinced Hetty, the dining hall manager and head baker, to give him a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. All he’d given her in return was a cheeky wink. Lucas shook his head in wonder. That man could charm his way out of any situation.

With the smell of the cookies wafting through the air, the trio hurried into their room to put their gear away for the night. Lucas was about finished organizing his clothes and books for the next day, when he noticed Piccolo digging frantically through his footlocker.

“Your locker’s a mess, Tony. What’d you lose this time?”

Piccolo pulled a twisted pile of shirts and socks from his belongings and scowled at Lucas. “I can’t find my lucky poker hat.”

“I can’t believe you even packed that thing, let alone think you could find it in that disaster zone.” Lucas chuckled. 

“I never travel anywhere without my lucky hat.” Then, in a growl, “Don’t mock the hat, Wolenczak.” 

“Fine.” His roommate grinned. “Are you sure you put it in there?”

“Of course.” Tony turned back to the now almost empty locker, and started inside. “It might be a mess to you, Luke, but is my organized mess. I know exactly where everything is --- well, most of the time.”

He scratched his head and addressed both his roommates. “Do you guys ever feel like your stuff just isn’t where you put it? I swear I’m not paranoid, but lately I’ve been finding my stuff just - - out of place.”

Lucas stared at the contents of his own locker. While he’d been an absolute slob in his youth – pretty much anyone on his first tour with seaQuest could attest to that – he had made a conscious effort to maintain UEO standards for soldiers, since he’d enlisted. Hell, he’d even cleaned up his act during the first year he’d been forced to bunk with Piccolo. One slob in a room was enough. At least Piccolo had always managed to keep his mess contained within his lockers and trunk. He glanced over the orderly contents of his locker – each item assigned its place on the top shelf, and the clothes folded below – not noticing anything out of place. No. Nothing seemed out of place or even slightly adjusted in position.

“Nope. Sorry Tony. Just you.”

“Actually,” Dom piped in, “now that you’ve mentioned it, yeah.” 

Both Piccolo and Lucas stared at their roommate who’d been pretty quiet up to that point. 

“It’s nothing very big, you know,” he shrugged. “Just, every now and again, I get the sense that something has moved. Weird, I know, but I always figured it was me just being absentminded because I was so tired.”

“Huh.” Tony shot Lucas a patented ‘I told you so glare,’ and then responded to the COA agent who was currently re-training for a new role. “This happen at all the last time you went through training? Maybe the trainers dig through our stuff, for, you know, anything we aren’t supposed to have?”

“Not that I remember, but I wouldn’t have thought of it if you hadn’t mentioned it, Tony.”

Lucas wasn’t sure what was going on. He wouldn’t put it passed their training instructors – Chief in particular – to do random locker searches, but surely those usually occur with the recruit present? He wasn’t exactly sure what took place during Army boot camp or the Navy’s basic training, so he couldn’t compare this situation to those, but if any of the old movies he’d seen were half accurate, the whole point of those spot checks was to do so in front of the new soldier.

“Yes!” 

Lucas turned his attention back to Tony, who was at present wielding the previously missing lucky hat in the air.

“Got it! Now I can play some poker.”

Dom and Lucas just grinned as their friend jammed the worn and dirty old visor on his head. The only thing missing was a cigar – something Tony had always managed to dig up on seaQuest, but not something he’d been able to find on COA’s campus. Piccolo grabbed the cookies that he’d placed on Lucas’ bunk, and sauntered out of the room – complete with a cocky swagger. 

Dom had managed to change into his COA issued sweats in the short time Tony had been digging through his personal belongings, and followed the self-proclaimed king of poker towards the common area. Lucas just shook his head, smiling to himself, and pulled out a clean t-shirt and sweatpants for himself.

The game didn’t drag on as long as he suspected it might. Lucas had bowed out relatively early, not really up to putting on his best poker face. While he knew that he could beat Tony just by bluffing, he really wasn’t into it. Instead, he sat with the others only half watching as Piccolo, Sam, and Niko duked it out for the final prize. He found himself sitting a little taller in his seat when the topic shifted from their assigned fields to the current mood of the Agency. Most of the questions were directed at Dom, their resident COA expert, who was attempted to answer them as best as possible. Apparently, the news of the missing agents had spread, and as new recruits, this group wanted to know what had happened.

“So, they just disappeared? Like, just poof, off the radar?” Anna queried. 

“Well, it doesn’t quite work like that.” Dom rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Each agent is assigned a handler, and that handler maintains regular contact with his agents. Sometimes they communicate via vidlink – which is rare – but most of the time it’s through a system the handler develops for that particular assignment. The more risky the embedded assignment, the more creative the handler has to be in coming up with a means of communicating without letting the agent’s cover slip.” Dom paused. “In this case, three of the missing agents have been confirmed as dead.”

An audible gasp came from Anna. 

“It’s part of the job, Anna. You join the COA knowing that your life can be in danger at any moment. Of course, for those in HQ,” he glanced at Lucas quickly, “the risk is minimal. However, the covert agents know that any assignment could be their last. It’s the risk they are willing to make for their country – for the UEO.”

“What about the fourth agent?” This time, it was Andre who was asking the question.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know if she’s dead, or you haven’t heard anything?” Sam’s voice could be heard from the poker table, the players’ easy banter now halted.

“Listen, I’m a recruit now. I’m not privy to the details like I was as a logistical tech. All I know is that she’s missing, and has been for a while now. Her handler hasn’t been able to get in contact with her, or find any intel on her whereabouts, but they also haven’t received word that she’s been made.”

“They know why so many agents have been compromised recently?” Sam again, and Lucas perked up. He was getting very close to the very reason the Agency was on high alert.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure. They are looking into it – checking all the handlers out – but right now, there are just a lot of questions and not too many answers. Like I said, I’m not really getting any info first hand anymore. Just word of mouth, you know?” It was evident that they weren’t going to get anything more out of Dom that night.

The mood of the gathering had abruptly changed from being rather upbeat and lively, to being much more somber. It was hard to joke around when you knew that three members of the same agency you were hoping to join had just lost their lives on the job. Lucas could see it in their faces. Some of the recruits – Anna and Niko in particular – appeared somewhat concerned as to what they’d signed up for, while others had the look of resigned acceptance. Sam and Liz were on the path to becoming covert agents. In their previous roles within other government agencies, they’d placed their lives on the line on a regular basis. It was something they’d long ago committed to doing. Likewise, danger was not a foreign concept to most of the other recruits. Andre risked his life every time he detonated a bomb for his police department, and Niko had been a medic on the frontline of more than one battlefield. 

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I think I’m going to hit the sack.” Dom declared, pushing himself to standing. “Sorry for being such a downer, guys. I’ll let you know if I find anything else out.”

One by one, the rest of the group filed out of the common area, the two women turning towards the women’s hall, while the men turned to the opposite door. 

It wasn’t long before the three roommates crawled into bed. Without a doubt, each of them would regret the later than usual night when they were woken up at the crack of dawn for PT. At least they didn’t have a full day of grueling physical pain ahead of them. Lucas was a little intrigued by their first session the next day: Tactical and Strategic Extraction. Rumor had it that part of that training was focused in the classroom on understanding the minutia of details needed to successfully complete a complicated extraction in enemy territory. The second part – probably in the weeks to come – allowed them to take part in both planning and executing extraction simulations. While he was definitely looking forward to getting back into the Command center within the HQ building, extractions training sounded exceptionally intriguing. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his experience escaping from Macronesia, or their frequent need to get out of tight situations on seaQuest, but he imagined the skills learned in this session would prove to be valuable in the future.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

Oliver Hudson sat alone at the oval table in the Captain’s Quarters. Despite the late hour, he had files to review and documents to sign. He sighed. If he could just delegate this part of his job to his Ex-O, he’d be a much happier man. Unfortunately, there were some tasks he couldn’t hand off to his crew. Hudson pulled the first of the files up on the screen and scrolled to the appropriate section. While he didn’t care much for paperwork, he was taking advantage of the lull in activity to get ahead of the game. Their brief foray into Indonesian waters had proved nothing more than the obligatory showboating required when high-level government officials wanted to impress each other. Hudson loathed those assignments, and other than getting the chance to restock the boat’s supplies – an opportunity they couldn’t afford to pass up – the trip was not really worth the cost in energy and fuel.

He was almost relieved to hear O’Neill’s voice over the room’s intercom, giving him a chance to take a breather from the mundane paperwork.

“Sir, I have Captain Bridger on the line.”

Hudson sighed again. He was pretty sure he knew what the retired captain had to say to him. “Put him through, Mr. O’Neill.”

“Aye Captain.”

Almost immediately, Nathan Bridger’s face took form on the large monitor, blocking the text that had been there previously.

“Nathan, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Cut the crap, Oliver.” Bridger was visibly annoyed and wasn’t interested in pleasantries this late at night. “You want to tell me what you’ve done with Lucas?”

“I’m not sure what you are inferring, Nathan. He and Tony Piccolo were offered a place in the current class at OCS.” Hudson could tell immediately that the former captain of seaQuest was not fooled.

“I know he’s not there, Oliver. After I didn’t hear from him for a few days, I contacted seaQuest. I was a little surprised to learn that he’d been sent off to Rhode Island the same day he came back aboard – with Tony Piccolo of all people. You and I both know, Oliver, that the UEO has no intention of ever promoting an ex-con to an officer position, no matter how much he matures or proves that he’s earned it.” Bridger placed his hands behind his back, pacing across the screen. “I put my suspicions aside and made a few calls. Imagine my surprise when I contacted my old Academy buddy – an instructor there – only to find that neither Lucas nor Tony were enrolled.” He leaned towards the monitor. “Then today, I received an anonymous email from an unknown IP address, apologizing for his lack of contact. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who sent it. I’m pretty sure you know exactly where he is, Oliver, and don’t lie to me this time.”

Hudson took a minute to size up the former captain of his boat. Despite his position as a retired officer, Bridger still was a man with friends in high places. Regardless, the current captain of seaQuest was not in a position to share the ensign’s current assignment with anyone. This was one situation where he and Bridger might see eye-to-eye. Neither of them was very happy with Lucas being placed on active duty so soon after his abduction, and Hudson didn’t trust Harrington – or Roberts, whatever he was going by these days – to return his men in one piece. 

“I won’t lie to you, Nathan. Anything I tell you is strictly classified and none of my crew are aware that Wolenczak and Piccolo are anywhere other than OCS.”

“So where are they?”

“I can’t tell you. What I will say is that they were specifically selected to take part in an assignment, which is not associated with seaQuest. I can’t tell you where they are, who requested them, or what they are doing. What I can tell you is that they will both be returned within the next few weeks.” 

“I’m not happy about this, Oliver.”

“Off the record, neither am I, Nathan.”

“That’s not very reassuring.” Bridger’s brows were raised. He hadn’t expected that amount of honesty from seaQuest’s captain.

Hudson leaned back against his chair, debating how much more he could get away with. “Don’t go digging around UEO Headquarters for more information, Nathan. You aren’t going to find what you’re looking for. Just trust that I have their best interests in mind and if I had any idea that they were being placed on a mission above their capacity, I’d never let them go.”

“Fine. I’ll let this go for now, but I’ll be in touch, Oliver.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Nathan. Out.” He touched the button severing their connection. As always, Hudson was taken aback at how vastly different he and Bridger had captained the seaQuest. While he preferred to run a military boat, with set lines between ranks, Nathan Bridger had taken a completely different approach. He was much more likely to take the opinions of much lower ranking officers, and used his heart more so than his head to guide actions. Hudson didn’t scoff at this approach rather, he blamed it on the current conflict. Brigder had the time to develop relationships with his crew over the course of their first two tours. They didn’t have to contend with a rising adversary and increasing conflicts within the seas. No, these were different times and there was no room for a soft figure in charge. If Bridger had remained the captain of this boat, Hudson was almost certain that the older man would have hardened with time. This was a world on the verge of war. There was no time for science and exploration on the seas.

Captain Hudson was just about to put the paperwork aside for the night, when his PAL beeped again. 

“Captain Hudson. Sorry to disturb you again, sir.”

“What is it, Mr. O’Neill?”

“Secretary General McGath needs to speak with you. He says it’s urgent, sir.”

“Put him through on a secure channel.”

“Aye Captain.”

Again, an image appeared on the screen. Like Bridger, the Secretary General did not look very happy.

“Secretary General, what can I do for you?”

“Sorry for the late call, Captain. We’ve just caught wind of a possible conflict between two mining colonies – both UEO – off the coast of Bolivia. Because of their location, we can’t allow any lapse in vigilance. We both know how that Macronesia has been looking for any opportunity to move into close proximity of North America for years.” 

The Secretary General looked grim and Hudson understood why. After seaQuest disappeared, the Macronesian Alliance, under Alexander Bourne’s leadership, had used their newly developed Lysander class submarines to liquefy large landmasses in the hopes of gaining control of most of the world’s valuable resources. The use of this weapon, in addition to increased world temperatures caused by global climate change, had cause a catastrophic and never before seen rise in sea levels. As a result, Central America, and a large portion of South America had been lost, including Chile, and most of Peru. Not only would a move into South American waters be a coup in terms of getting their hands on valuable natural resources but also, Bourne would benefit from their strategic location. If South American would fall to Macronesian hands, they would be a stone throw away from North America and the heart of the UEO. This was not a risk the UEO was willing to take.

“And the UEO wants seaQuest to head down there to act as a mediator, or as a warning to Bourne?”

“Oliver, we both know that seaQuest is the only boat in our fleet that could deter the Macronesians from moving in. We want you to transport a small convoy of conflict resolution mitigators to a secondary location, where negotiations will take place. SeaQuest will stay positioned close enough to the colonies to respond if any threat is suspected.”

“And this convoy?”

“Has already set off in a transport vehicle and is headed towards San Diego. You will meet them at 0700 hours tomorrow.”

“Well, we’d best change our coordinates then.” Hudson wasn’t happy with this new assignment. The last thing he wanted to do was escort a bunch of dignitaries on a pleasure cruise and then babysit them for weeks on end. However, the possibility of the Macronesian Alliance taking advantage of the UEO’s weakness was too great. 

“McGath out.” 

The Secretary General’s image was replaced with the black screen. Well, at least he didn’t have to worry about filling his time completing paperwork right now. They were going to need to change their course immediately if seaQuest was going to make it to the rendezvous point in nine hours. Captain Hudson stood, adjusted his uniform and strode out of his quarters towards the Bridge. He’d have to call his primary crew back into rotation early than expected, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for seaQuest.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Dark. Black. Acrid smoke. He couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t he breathe? He reached for his face, to push whatever was blocking his nose and mouth, but his hands wouldn’t move. Trapped. He was trapped. Oh god, was he back? Did they have him again? He couldn’t see! Why couldn’t he see? He froze. Noises. Scraping, shuffling, a pounding. Louder and louder. He tried harder to pull his hands free. They refused to budge. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. Gasping for air. Was that smoke? Fire. Fire! He had to get out of there. Before they took him. Before he was taken prisoner. Must break free! There. Someone was at the door. A light. He could see a line of light. He felt himself crawling back, pushing against a hard surface. He gasped, unable to draw in a full breath. Bang. Thud. The door flung open. A body dropped at his feet. Oh god! It can’t be. It can’t be - - 

Lucas’ eyes shot open, darting around the dark room, searching for anything he could recognize - something comforting. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and the relief he felt when he saw the familiar outline of the bunks and COA furniture was almost palatable. His heart was racing and his skin clammy. He could barely move on the bed, his blankets twisted and wrapped around his limbs in knots. He wasn’t sure if he’d made any noise, but he was breathing heavily. Adrenaline was coursing through his body to the point where he knew he wasn’t going to be able to fall back asleep for a while.

Like most of the nightmares he’d suffered, this one left him with nothing but blurry images and vague emotions. No matter how hard he tried, he could never remember exactly what he experienced in those dreams. He just knew that he was frightened, shocked, and lately he felt the weight of grief in his heart for hours after he woke. This nightmare was no different. He wanted to remember, but at the same time, wanted the dreams to go away for good. He’d hoped that time would lessen their intensity, and for a while they’d gotten much better. He wasn’t waking up multiple times a night, and he was pretty sure his roommates would have mentioned it if he’d woken up screaming. He didn’t think their response would be as calm and reassuring as Captain Bridger’s had been.

He slowly pulled himself free, trying not to wake his roommates. It was no wonder he’d felt caged in his dream. He was literally bound by his own bed linens. Swinging his legs over the side of the bottom bunk, he felt in the dark for his shoes and hoodie. As per his usual routine, he’d put them out the night before in preparation for the rush to get ready in the morning. Lucas’ luck didn’t quite hold up as he tripped over something on the floor – Tony’s shoes? – in an attempt to get out of the room before alerting Piccolo or Dom. He paused. He could hear a rustling coming from the older man’s bed before Dom sat up.

“Lucas?” The COA recruit was confused and not completely awake. “What are you doing?” He squinted at the younger man who had frozen in place near the door.

This was enough to rouse Piccolo, who was usually an incredibly heavy sleeper. Lucas could hear a moan from the top bunk. 

“Please don’t tell me it’s time to get up already,” the muffled words of a man who desperately still wanted to sleep.

“No, Tony. Go back to sleep.”

“Where are you going?” Dom was definitely more awake now.

“I can’t sleep. Just going to get some fresh air.”

“You okay, Luke?” 

Piccolo now appeared much more alert, and Lucas groaned inwardly. He had not wanted to wake either of them, and he’d managed to wake both.

“I’m fine, Tony.”

“Another nightmare?” 

His friend’s head peered over the edge of the top bunk, concern written across his features.

Lucas was caught by surprise. Another nightmare? He hadn’t been aware that his roommates had noticed. Neither had mentioned it at all since they’d been bunking in the same room. He hadn’t even had one night back on seaQuest, before he and Piccolo had been sent out here. 

“Go back to bed, Tony.”

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yes!”

His friend gave him an incredulous look, but the call of his bed must have been stronger than his suspicions. Lucas was relieved to see Tony slip back down under the covers. It wouldn’t be long before the room was silent again. He opened the door quietly – in the hopes that he wouldn’t wake the rest of the men on this hall – and moved towards the now dark and empty common area. 

He didn’t bother to turn the lights on. By this point, his eyes had already acclimated to the dark. Instead, Lucas moved to the door dividing the common area from the stairs. He wasn’t bluffing when he’d said he wanted some fresh air. The reality was that these nightmares made him feel trapped in close confines. What he needed was some space. It was hard to feel caged when you were standing outside with the cold biting through your clothes and turning your nose red. He pushed against the door, expecting it to give way with little resistance, only to find that it wouldn’t budge. He pushed harder, not willing to concede that it wasn’t lack of force keeping the door closed. Again, nothing.

Looking closer, Lucas was somewhat stunned to find that the lock had been engaged. While someone who had some skill and a thin wire could probably pick the old-fashioned piece of technology with ease, it wouldn’t have an affect on the more modern security lock Lucas had failed to notice before. Of course, he’d never tried to leave the building in the middle of the night and hadn’t bothered to examine the door over the course of time he’s spent on COA’s campus. For the most part, the recruits were too tired to do more than stumble through the door and head for their beds. 

He was frustrated and confused, and Lucas could feel the anger bubbling beneath the surface. What right did they have to lock them in the building at night? Did they seriously think the recruits were going to stage a coup and walk out of there? There was nowhere to go, no transportation, and no one knew they were even there. The only thought that crossed his mind as a possibility was that they suspected one of the new recruits to be the mole. That would be ridiculous. They were new to the agency. Hell, most of them didn’t even know this covert operation of the UEO even existed before they were recruited. 

Lucas leaned in closer to the door, examining the state-of-the-art lock, which had been well camouflaged along the doorframe. If he had the right tools and a bit of time, he could almost bet he’d be able to crack it without a problem. Before he had a moment to contemplate actually following through with the thought, a voice was piped into the common room.

“Mr. Wolenczak. I suggest you go back to bed.”

Lucas looked up with a start. He scanned the walls, searching for the camera but not seeing it. He’d bet it was artfully hidden, like so many of the other motion sensors and cameras on Campus. He didn’t recognize the voice, but that wasn’t surprising. He hadn’t met the majority of the COA staff.

In a voice that sounded alarmingly loud in the quiet building, Lucas responded. “I just need to get some fresh air. Can you unlock the door please?”

“No. Go back to bed.”

“Is there a reason we’re locked in?”

“Safety reasons, recruit. Return to your room. That’s an order.”

Safety reasons? Safety reasons? They’ve got to be kidding. They were in lockdown in a building that was located on a highly secure property – that no one knew existed – out in the middle of rural Maine. Were they afraid the last of the country’s carnivores were going to come looking for a late night snack? There was definitely something going on. This whole place was on red alert all the time, and it couldn’t just be the result of a suspected mole in their midst. Lucas stood there, silently contemplating his options. He could keep pushing the security guard, but that would probably not end up being very fruitful. What he’d learned so far on this assignment is that while the COA appeared more laid back then the UEO and other military branches, they were driven by rules that every agent stoically followed. Or, he could go back to bed, try to fall asleep and approach Roberts directly about being held prisoner in the dormitory at night. Neither sounded very appealing, but regardless, he was going to discuss this with his mentor the next day. 

Lucas took a last glance at the locked door and turned back towards the men’s hall. He was not happy about this. The nightmare had left him feeling as though the walls were closing in on him and he didn’t want to go back to the small, cramped room. If he were lucky, he’d manage to get a little sleep before they were forced up for PT. He knew the nightmares would not return tonight. They never did after he was jolted awake. He just didn’t know if he would be able to close his eyes right now. Regardless, he ambled reluctantly back to his room and quietly toed his sneakers off. Slipping back under the covers, he pulled his right arm behind his head and stared at the bunk above. Tomorrow, he’d probably find out if his message was caught before it got to Captain Bridger. If not, he’d have to have a long conversation with the CIO, Joe Harper.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The eight recruits stood at attention, waiting for their Extractions instructor to arrive. They had expected to report directly to the classroom for the first several sessions, but were surprised to find themselves directed to a warehouse looking building hidden behind the buildings of the main campus. This facility was far removed from most of the COA’s training grounds and didn’t have the air of sophistication and cutting-edge technology as the aquatics or firearms centers. From the outside, it looked rather rundown and well used. They had not been permitted inside, and were ordered to stand in line, in numerical order, until the Instructor advised them otherwise. 

The recruits could hear the crunching of boots on gravel before the figure came into view. Adhering to discipline, each of them kept their eyes front, not daring to shoot a glance at the man. 

“Good morning recruits.”

Lucas hesitated for a fraction of a second. There was something familiar about the voice.

“Good morning, sir,” each of the eight COA recruits responded in unison.

“At ease.”

They transitioned into the ordered position.

When the Extractions instructor stepped out in front of them, Lucas couldn’t camouflage the look of shock on his face. He blinked a few times, closed his mouth, and made contact with a man he hadn’t seen in years. The older man gave an almost undetectable smile and winked.

“Welcome to your first extractions training simulation, recruits. Apparently I drew the short straw this morning and I’ll be leading your extractions training for the duration of your stay with COA.” The glint in his eye betrayed the fact that he was pleased to be dealing with this particular class. 

“For those of you who don’t know me, and for those of you who might have forgotten me,” again he looked directly at Lucas, “I am Extractions Chief William Shan.” 

Lucas grinned at the familiar face. It had been years since Shan had last served on seaQuest. That was his very first tour with the boat and crew - the tour that sent the boat to the bottom of the ocean. It took a long time to rebuild the UEO’s masterpiece, and a number of crew – Shan included – had not returned for the next tour. They’d received offers of positions they couldn’t refuse. Lucas didn’t know what the former helmsman had been doing in the past twelve or so years, but it was evident that the COA had recognized his talents and pulled him in. 

He felt a slight nudge in his left side. Tony. His friend had witnessed the non-verbal exchange between the two former crewmates and it hadn’t gone unnoticed. He threw Lucas a sidelong glare, paired with a lift of his chin, which the younger of the two men could only read as “What the hell, Luke?” Piccolo hadn’t joined seaQuest until after the rebuilt boat was launched, so he’d never had a chance to meet Shan. Plus, it wasn’t as though they’d had lengthy discussions about past crew who’d moved on – with the exception of Ben and Dr. Westphalen of course.

Lucas and Tony had spent a lot of time together, and they’d learned to read each other really well. He shot back his own glare, which he really hoped would convey the fact that he’d fill his friend in later. Right now, they were still in formation and didn’t need to get called out in front of the group. There were a number of things the two seaQuest submariners needed to talk about, and last night’s incident was included, along with the fact that Tony continued to insist that someone was going through his belongings. Hopefully, they’d have some time over lunch, or before bed, to get away from the other recruits for a bit.

He turned his attention back to Shan, who had motioned to another instructor to unlock the warehouse and slide the large door open.

“You are probably all wondering why you are down here today instead of in the classroom. Up to this point, you’ve had weapons training, hand-to-hand combat, strategic theory, and more physical training than you’ve had in your life.” He walked slowly down the line of recruits, staring at each of them as if to memorize the face that went with the name. “What I want to know is can you work as a team? Can you use what you’ve learned so far to get your team from one end of this course to the other?”

Chief Shan nodded towards the door. “In a moment we are going to randomly select one of you to be a covert agent who is in need of emergency extraction. The rest of you will be expected to get to that agent, and then get them back out again. Before we begin, you’ll be given 15 minutes to read through a short document with some intelligence on the situation. With that information, you will need to plan your entrance, get to your agent and get him out of there with minimal loss. We have a selection of weapons for you to choose from – all loaded with non-lethal lasers – and vests.”

Shan grinned. “Don’t worry, you won’t be alone. There are an undisclosed number of enemy soldiers waiting for you to make your move. I’ll give you one word of advice: teamwork. Without it, you will all fail miserably. With it, you’ll just fail.”

He pulled some sticks out of his pocket and started to arrange them in his one hand. “We don’t expect recruits to pass this test with flying colors – at least not on the first try. What it does is provide us with an idea of where your individual and team strengths and weaknesses lie, and allows me to tailor your training accordingly.”

With the sticks prepared, Shan held his out his hand. “Now, let’s see who gets to be our damsel in distress. Keep your piece hidden until all recruits have had a chance to pull their own.” He went down the line, starting with Recruit 1 and finishing with Lucas. “Nice to see you again, Lucas, although I never thought I’d run into you in this environment.” He gave the younger man a hardy thump on the shoulder. 

“Yeah. Seeing you here is a bit of a surprise.” Lucas chuckled in response as he took the last remaining stick. “Any other old seaQuest crewmember I should know about hiding inside the COA?”

The older man winked, “if there was, I really couldn’t tell you now, could I?” 

Shan turned back to address the group. “Okay, let’s see who has the shortest stick. Hold them out recruits.”

They each peered at their own, comparing it to the others. Sam’s disappointed grunt was enough indication to the rest of them, that he had been dealt the unwanted card. While he liked and respected the FBI agent, Lucas had to stifle a snicker. Sam saw himself as the ultimate leader, the man who would by far excel as an undercover agent. He was confident and incredibly competitive, and he and Liz often went head-to-head. They were both on track to become covert agents with the COA and each of them was attempting to prove that s/he was the best the agency had ever seen. To be selected as the agent to be rescued, must have felt like a blow to Sam’s ego.

The disappointed recruit was led into the warehouse by one of Shan’s associates and another stepped up to the group with a file - presumably the promised document Shan had mentioned. Liz immediately reached for it. This would be her first chance to prove that she could lead a team and excel in that position. Lucas had no problem with someone else stepping up to run the play. He didn’t necessarily see himself as a seasoned enough soldier to take on the role. Sure, he’d taken the initiative to learn new skills, and get involved in a number of missions, but as a new ensign, was never give the same level of responsibility as his superiors. Even in this assignment, he was there for his technical skill and his ability to blend in with the new recruit class. It had nothing to do with his military skills.

Apparently, Piccolo was equally as comfortable standing back and letting someone else take the lead. He too was improving as a soldier, and seemed to really enjoy most of the COA training they’d experienced so far. Lucas could see how much he wanted to be taken seriously and if Hudson or Commander Ford could see Piccolo now, they’d most likely be impressed. 

Dom and Andre, however, looked somewhat annoyed with the situation. Both were pretty laid back, but still had the drive to succeed and prove themselves. Lucas suspected that Dom in particular had a lot to prove. The man was slightly older than the rest of them (disregarding the ten years the seaQuest crew members were supposed to have aged) and had spent several years as a logistical technician within the agency. He was making a mid-career change into a position he had coveted for a while. Lucas wasn’t exactly sure if he was being trained to be a covert agent, or perhaps something else in the field, but he knew his roommate was trying to get out of HQ. If he failed in this attempt, they’d probably send him back to his previous post, and Dom was not excited about this possibility.

The team lead, Liz, pulled them together to go over the ‘mission’ information. Included in the file were blueprints, information about the ‘enemy’ and information on where the captive agent was most probably being kept. She barked orders at the six of them, and they filed into the weapons cache to pull out what they hoped they’d need. From what they were planning, it was going to be a pretty physical ‘mission.’ Lucas wasn’t used to just barging in, grabbing a target, and using fire power to get out. In the majority of his missions with seaQuest, there was some degree of strategy involved, or during the assignment, some outside the box creative thinking required. In his experience, nothing ever went according to plan. 

Pulling his vest over his head and shouldering his weapon, Lucas walked to where Tony was strapping into his own gear.

“Hey.”

Piccolo looked up and nodded towards Liz and Dom who appeared to be in disagreement on how to proceed with their assignment. “Think those two are going to get into a fist fight before we even start?”

Lucas tried to hide a grin. “Nah. I’m pretty sure she can take him down with a look.”

Tony laughed, then dropped his voice so that the others couldn’t overhear. “Wanna tell me about Chief Shan? How’d you know him?”

Lucas practically rolled his eyes. “Tony. How do you think I know him?”

“seaQuest?”

“Yeah. He was one of the helmsmen, but spent most of his time on Security Chief Crocker’s team.”

“First tour, right? Because I don’t remember him.”

“He was one of the crew that didn’t wait around for seaQuest to be rebuilt. I have no idea where he went after that. It’s not like we were close, you know.”

“He a good guy? What’d you think?”

“He’s one of the good guys.” Lucas thought back to the conversation he’d had with Commander in Chief Hokstad. Hokstad had mentioned that the Chief of Extractions had been one of the handful of COA agents who knew of the hunt for the mole. Even if he didn’t have that information, he’d never guess Shan to have turned. They guy was about as loyal and patriotic as anyone he could imagine. The former teenage hacker grinned, remembering some of the stunts he and Ben had pulled, and the reaction the rest of the crew had given them. Shan had always been a good sport. “Yeah, I trust him.”

Tony nudged Lucas with his elbow, looking back to the warehouse. “Think he’ll go easy on us because of you?”

Lucas chuckled. “No way. He’s probably going to be even harder than ever. Doesn’t matter though. He already said we’re going to fail. Let’s just make sure we don’t make fools of ourselves.”

“Too late for you, Luke.”

“Ha ha, Tony.” Before he could add any witty retort, Chief Shan waved them over.

“All right recruits. Hopefully by now you have your plan worked out. I’m giving you one hour to get in, get your man, and get out. We have spotters stationed around the simulation area and we are going to grade you on your performance. We are also recording the mission to refer back to later. You get points for creativity, working as a team, and getting all your men out alive.” One by one, Shan looked each of them in they eye. “You will lose point every time you hesitate, put a teammate in danger, or handle yourself incorrectly. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir,” the recruits replied in unison, but Lucas wasn’t so sure. 

“At the sound of the horn, you’ll assume your entry positions and the timer will start the countdown. Good luck recruits.”

The horn was loud -- surprisingly loud -- and the recruits fanned out towards the entrance they would mount their rescue attempt from. Upon entering the warehouse, Lucas was surprised at how it looked. It was dark, crowded, and could very well be any building in any city. There were doors, furniture and what appeared to be hallways leading to god knows where. Taking a deep breath, he stepped in to his assigned role.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

The recruits leaned breathlessly against the side of the warehouse, not one of them devoid of sweat dripping down their faces, their necks. The test mission had proved to be far more physical and monumentally more difficult then any of them could have imagined. They’d been chased, shot at, and physically tackled in the span of sixty minutes, and regardless of the training they’d received in their previous lives, or as a COA recruit, they’d gone in supremely unprepared. 

Each of them was disappointed in how the test simulation had ended, and somewhat surprised at how quickly they’d failed. They could only hope that the Agency had seen worse shows of teamwork. While they had felt that after weeks of training, they were in a better position to be placed within their assignments, they had been proved wrong. If there ever was a group who needed additional instruction on strategic thinking and working together, this was them. Currently, Liz, Sam and Dom were trading withering glares and Sam had practically shoved everyone aside when reaching daylight. He was visibly angry that he’d had to sit by and wait for rescue, and even angrier that they’d failed the test.

While Lucas felt frustrated and slightly annoyed with his fellow recruits, he’d been surprised at the way in which Tony had responded under pressure. The two of them had served together for over two years on seaQuest, yet the younger man hadn’t had too many opportunities to see Piccolo in action. Sure, they’d been assigned a handful of missions together, but since Piccolo had taken over where Brody had left off – manning fighter subs – his approach to the job had changed. Lucas wasn’t sure if it was maturity, experience, or just the fact that their lives and the state of the world was now completely different, but his friend was turning into a good soldier who could think quickly on his feet. All the studying in the world could not teach that. Lucas secretly hoped that Shan had noticed his friend’s performance as well. Maybe, after all of this, when they finally did get back home, Tony could get some of the recognition he deserved.

Extractions Chief Shan, and the two agents Lucas had learned were active extraction agents Bennett and Daley, appeared in front of the ragged group. The look on their faces told the recruits all they needed to know. They were in bad shape and the COA had their work cut out for them. 

“Congratulations recruits. That was one of the worst shows of teamwork I’ve seen in about five years. If that were a real extraction mission, you’d all be dead or taken prisoner.” Shan lifted his clipboard and read through the information written there, and looked back up at the group of exhausted and somewhat humiliated men and women. “Now, I realize most of you are not looking to be assigned to an extractions team. To the COA, that doesn’t matter. Every single agent who works for this agency, even the agent handlers, have to have knowledge of how we operate. Every single person in this agency is responsible for getting our people in and out of dangerous situations. That requires teamwork. Trust. In terms of strategy, you are about where we would expect you to be without COA’s custom instruction. Teamwork is another story.” Shan shook his head. “A few of you are in a power struggle, others of you don’t trust the judgment of your leader, and the rest of you. Well, I have no idea what the hell you were thinking in there.”

The extractions chief pointed towards the main campus. “Hit the showers recruits. I expect you in the classroom ready to learn first thing tomorrow. Dismissed.”

The six men and two women slowly peeled off, heading back towards the dormitory. Lucas felt a hand on his upper arm and stopped.

“Wait a minute, Lucas.” Shan motioned for the younger man to follow him, moving away from the others. When they’d moved far enough way, Shan clapped Lucas on the back and gave him a warm smile.

“I think my jaw might have hit the floor when I saw your name pop up on the recruit list. I thought I was seeing things.” The former seaQuest helmsman grinned. “How is it that a smart-mouthed, cocky teenage hacker could get a nod of approval from the best covert agent the COA has ever seen for recruitment?”

“I grew up, I guess.” Lucas replied. “It’s been a while, Chief Shan.”

“It sure has, Lucas. It’s good to see you, despite the circumstances. So, what do you think so far?”

“About the COA or the other,” he paused “thing?” Lucas looked at his old colleague questioningly.

“From what I’ve heard, you’ll do just fine with your assignment. I mean about the COA. How do you like it?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I wasn’t so thrilled with the idea of coming here, but I didn’t get much of a choice in the matter. I don’t exactly have the best history with the agency.”

Shan nodded, lips pursed. As he did not question Lucas’ last statement, it was obvious the man was aware of Lucas’ previous experience at the hands of the COA.

“Agent Roberts has had high praise for you. I think he harbors some hope that you’ll want to stay on - - after your training ends.”

Lucas had to choke back a sarcastic response. “I’ll bet he does.” The younger man knew that once he returned to seaQuest, the COA would not have the same level of control over him as they did when he was assigned to them. If he signed on permanently, Robert Bridger would have the authority to order him into silence. He’d never get the opportunity to be candid with Captain Bridger again. If the captain’s son didn’t want Lucas to spill the beans, all he’d have to do is assert his position as a superior officer. Lucas wasn’t going to jeopardize his recently re-established relationship with the former captain of seaQuest. He loved that man like a father and was not going to lose him again. The young ensign wasn’t sure what he was going to do about the information he was guarding. He wanted the captain to know his son was alive. He wanted Michael to have a father in his life. He just wanted Robert to be the one to approach his family. It would be better for Bridger and Michael, if it came directly from Robert.

“I’ve read your files, Lucas. I know about your experience with Roberts in Macronesia, and I know about your missions with seaQuest. I prefer to see for myself how a soldier, or potential agent, responds to threats in the field, but your superiors have all been laudatory in their reports. Based on what I saw today, I have hopes that you’ll make a good agent. You’re well on your way to becoming a good soldier. Don’t let the failure of your team make you feel otherwise. With the right training, I’d be proud to have you as part of my extractions team.”

Lucas didn’t know how to respond. He was pleased, of course, but also a little taken back. He didn’t think he’d made much of an impression today, none of them had.

“I should let you get back to the dorm before the others start to wonder.” Shan said. 

He was right. It was suspicious being pulled aside by anyone other than your COA mentor and the others would probably question why he was being singled out. At least the easy response in this situation was to be honest. Shan had served on seaQuest years ago, where they’d overlapped in tours for a year. It couldn’t come as too large a surprise for paths to cross again here. seaQuest was the best boat the UEO had in their fleet, and it most certainly attracted the best soldiers the UEO Navy had to offer. 

“One last thing. Be careful. Watch your back and don’t trust anyone.” Shan was serious. Dead serious.

Lucas stared back, nervously chewing his bottom lip. That didn’t some ominous at all. Nope, not at all.

“I will. Thanks Chief Shan. See you tomorrow.”

As Lucas started towards the dormitory, Shan called out.

“Don’t think I’ll go easy on you because I knew you when you were sixteen, Wolenczak!”

Lucas turned and grinned. “Wouldn’t expect you to, sir.”

He picked up the pace, almost jogging back to the dorm. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that Shan had left them with plenty of time before they had to report to their individual training. He wasn’t sure if he could find Roberts before he headed towards headquarters and made his way into the Command Center, but he had time to fill Tony in on the state of their building at night. He wondered if any of the other recruits knew that they were locked in at night. Probably not. Lucas was pretty sure that someone would have mentioned it if they did. There was just no good reason to lock the doors. Unless -- unless the COA suspected that there was a mole in their midst. Someone in their class of recruits. This thought caused Lucas to come to a halt. 

What were the chances that the mole was one of them? Or, maybe someone who could easily gain access to any of the recruits? He shook his head. What would the purpose in that be? Other than Tony and himself, the other recruits had no knowledge of a mole in the COA ranks. All they knew was that something, or someone, was compromising the missions of some of their agents. It could be anything – bad planning, intelligence on the side of the enemy, or just a simple mistake that gave away their identities. Surely they weren’t even considering the possibility that someone within the COA was leaking highly classified information to the enemy thereby compromising the mission and resulting in the death of the embedded agents? 

Lucas shook his head. While he couldn’t be certain of what the other recruits knew or suspected, he highly doubted that the mole him – or her – self could be one of them. They’d all been pulled into the training program recently, and this issue had been growing for longer than they’d been there. He really wanted a chance to talk to Roberts, but that would have to wait. He had no idea how he was supposed to get a hold of the older man when he wanted to talk, and could only hope that the agent would be in the Command Center later that day. Right now, he’d settle with getting a hot shower, change of clothes, and a meal. The conversation with Roberts would have to wait.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lucas was pleased to find Tony waiting for him in their room. Alone. Dom had apparently been the first into the showers and the first out of the dormitory. He was still somewhat pissed off at the way in which their extractions test had turned out and Tony had laughed when he described the guy’s mood on the way to the building.

“You should have seen him, Lucas. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that riled up before. At one point, I seriously thought he was going to punch the wall.”

This was surprising to them both. Over the course of training they’d been forced to spend hour upon hour together, and their roommate appeared to be the most even-keeled and laid back member of the group. He was quick with a joke, and just as quick to give another a word of praise. To see him angry was most definitely out of character. He must really be frustrated.

“He kept mumbling how he should have taken the lead and that Liz wasn’t leadership material.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Guy was convinced he could have singlehandedly got Sam out of there with no casualties for the rest of us.”

Lucas snickered. “He does realize that the purpose was to test our ability to work together right? We weren’t supposed to succeed. There was no chance we weren’t going to fail. Shan said so even before we started.”

“You tell that to him. He didn’t want to listen to me.” Tony rubbed his towel against his wet hair and then tossed it over the edge of his locker door. “I think he went to the firing range to let off some steam. Sam went with him.”

“Huh. Didn’t take him for someone who’d get this worked up. He must have done this before, right? I mean, he’s already part of the COA and all recruits go through this test…”

“Yeah. Probably thought he could do a better job than Liz, though.”

“Then he should have spoken up when she took the lead.”

Tony was dressed, with the exception of his shoes, while Lucas had yet to head to the showers. It wasn’t often that the two of them got a few minutes to speak alone. It was obvious that Piccolo wasn’t in a rush to head to the dining hall and was willing to wait for his friend to get ready. The Warrant Officer – and COA recruit – was fidgeting, and Lucas suspected he had something on his mind that was unrelated to their epic failure in the extractions test.

“Hey Lucas. You wanna talk about last night?” Tony shifted from foot to foot. “You know, about your nightmare?”

Lucas stopped rooting through his locker for his toiletries to stare at his friend. He hadn’t expected the topic of his dreams to pop up, although he shouldn’t have been so surprised. It just wasn’t something he wanted to talk about.

“No. Not really.”

“Come on man, you can’t tell me that they’re nothing. You have them almost every night.”

“I do not.” Lucas paused. He didn’t think he had nightmares that often. At least, he knew he wasn’t waking up that frequently any more. In the beginning, he had them every time he closed his eyes, but he was pretty sure they were getting better. That he was getting better.

“Yeah, you do. Sometimes, I have to get down and shake you just to get you to stop thrashing around. Most of the time, you don’t even wake up.”

“Wha-?” Lucas didn’t believe what he was hearing. Why hadn’t Tony mentioned this earlier? If he’d been waking up his friend, then surely Dom knew too. What had Piccolo told him?

“Yeah. Every night. In the beginning, it wasn’t so bad. Dom didn’t even notice. But lately –“ Tony paused. “They’re bad, Lucas. Really bad.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.” He hung his head. He had really thought things were getting better. There was no reason for the nightmares to be getting worse. “And Dom?”

“He’s been asking questions. You know, wants to know why.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Just that most of seaQuest’s missions are classified information so I couldn’t talk about it.”

“He buy it?”

“Nah. Told him that sometimes our missions don’t go the way we hope and sometimes we lose good people. That shut him up.”

Both men immediately went quiet. In the past year, they’d lost more of their crewmates than they would care to admit. Merely referring to their deaths, made their loss more real.

Clearing his throat, Tony broke the silence.

“So. You wanna tell me what’s goin’ on with you? Those dreams, man –“

Lucas didn’t let him finish. “I don’t know, Tony. Hell, I didn’t even know they were happening so often. I thought they were getting better.” He paused. “I do know that there is something going on here that they aren’t telling us.”

“Wha’d ya mean?”

“Last night, when I left the room, I tried to get out of the building.”

“So?”

“The door was locked, Tony. I couldn’t even get into the stairwell.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know. One of the security goons got on over the intercom. Ordered me to go back to bed.”

“And you went?” Tony gave Lucas a knowing look. Lucas hadn’t been so good at following orders in the past, but things were different now. 

“I thought about picking the lock. Checking things out, but –“

“But you didn’t want to get into trouble?”

“I don’t need them looking at me any closer.”

“Yeah. The last thing we need is to stick out. I haven’t forgotten why we’re here, Lucas.”

“I know, Tony. I know.” He sighed. “I’m just not sure what’s going on. Why do they need to lock us in? Do they think we’re going to sneak around Campus? You can’t do anything without someone watching. Have you noticed the security cameras everywhere?” He glanced around the room. “You can bet that every room in this place is bugged too.”

Tony was starting to look nervous, as he should be. “You think there’s a connection between our stuff being moved around and the lockdown?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” He chewed his bottom lip. “Maybe they think one of us is up to something, so they are going through our belonging. Looking for anything that might stick out?” He paused and gave a nervous grin, “Or they are just an incredibly paranoid agency and it’s all part of their usual procedure to lock the newbies in and go through their stuff for contraband.” Lucas really didn’t believe it, and he could see that Tony didn’t either, but they were probably being monitored closely. He knew that they’d have an opportunity to discuss this outside, where they were still watched, but the acoustics were most likely less sensitive.

It was obvious that Tony knew where he was going and nodded in agreement, but not before scanning the corners of the room for hidden cameras or listening devices. He took the hint and changed the topic.

“Hey. You want me to wait for you while you hit the showers? Head over to grab some grub together?”

“Nah. I’ll meet you there.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I won’t be long.”

“Alright. I should probably make sure that Dom hasn’t gone postal yet.” He grinned and picked up his gear. They were heading off to their individual training rotations in the second half of the day, which meant that Tony was going to spend most of his afternoon in the water.

“Later, Lucas.”

The younger man watched as his friend sauntered out of the shared room. To those that didn’t know him, Piccolo’s body language would portray someone with little cares in the world. Lucas knew otherwise. His friend was concerned and somewhat nervous. He appreciated the fact that Tony believed him enough and trusted him enough to go with unspoken suggestions. Roberts had been right in pairing the two together. No matter what happened, Lucas knew that Tony had his back and that he had Tony’s. They’d known each other for a long time, and while they’d gotten on each others nerves more times than Lucas could count, they were family. The only family each other had.

Lucas pulled his towel from it’s own hook and with toiletries in hand, headed towards the showers. He’d make sure they’d get some answers. Today if possible.

 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

seaQuest had met her deadline and rendezvoused with the UEO mediators transport off the coast of San Diego, and was now almost at her destination – a cetacean observation center deep in the southern Pacific Ocean. While most cetacean species had gone extinct due to the collapse of fisheries – and therefore cetacean food sources – rising temperatures and rising sea levels, some were hanging on. The Blue Whale was long extinct, but the Southern Right Whale had adjusted its migratory path to accommodate the changes, and its survival continued to baffle scientist. Marine Biologists from across the globe were using this particular observation post to monitor the species. It was the perfect neutral location for negotiations between the feuding colonies.

Commander Jonathan Ford stood at attention, his Navy khakis meticulously pressed; the crease in the pants sharp enough to cut. He was waiting on the mediators to exit their internal discussions in the Ward Room to escort them to Launch Bay 3. Captain Hudson, no doubt happy with the turn of events, would meet them there to see the mediators off – as his role of captain dictated – but was not joining them for the discussions. He would remain on board the boat while Jonathan and Lt. O’Neill traveled back and forth with the team each day. O’Neill was a given for this assignment. While the mediators were proficient in Spanish, only one of the mining colonies was comprised of native Spanish speakers. The other group was Russian. O’Neill was fluent in both languages, and would only be an asset in the negotiation process; even if the mediators only relied on him as a translator. Both Hudson and Ford also agreed that it could only work in their favor to have a seaQuest crewmember fully engaged in the process, without requiring an intermediary. If anything appeared amiss, or if negotiations started to falter, Hudson would know immediately.

The door swung open and one by one the three conflict resolution specialists emerged. Dr. Ingrid Burgess came first. The world-renowned expert had distant ties to the Swedish aristocracy. Her poise and regal appearance would never lead one to doubt her background. Saul Valinas was from a more humble background, having grown up on the streets of New York. He had worked his way through school and towards an Ivy League education, and his ability to read people was what had helped him achieve success in his chosen field. Walter Pine was the quietest of the three mediators. While unremarkable alone, together with the other two, had earned the Nobel Prize for Peace. They were a formidable team and Commander Ford was somewhat taken back that they had been available for this particular task. 

“Ah, Commander Ford. I take it we are ready to depart?” Ingrid inquired, shouldering the strap of her leather satchel. Despite the role they were about to assume, the mediators traveled surprisingly light.

“Yes, Dr. Burgess. We are on schedule to depart for the observation station in fifteen minutes.” He turned to face the rest of the group. “If you’ll follow me please.”

As they walked towards the Mag-lev, the mediators continued to review their files. They had each been supplied a list of participants, backgrounds, and a history of the region and natural resources being disputed. While the actual disagreement was nothing to raise an alarm over – Ford was certain that these particular experts had dealt with much more politically sensitive matters in the past – the strategic location of the dispute was. On the Bridge, the crew was monitoring the surrounding waters and communications around the clock and the boat had been put on an elevated alert. So far, they hadn’t heard any new chatter from Macronesia, or any other territory sympathetic to President Bourne’s mission to take over the rest of the world. Regardless, this mission was to take precedence over any other, short of an emergency.

O’Neill was waiting in Launch Bay, on time as usual. Ford nodded in acknowledgement at the young lieutenant and turned to address his charges and to organize their departure. He could only hope that this assignment be both successful and fast. He, like Hudson, had no desire to babysit diplomats for longer than necessary – especially in light of the current “conflict” between alliances.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

The mole was nervous. Fingers rubbing absently on the hem of his dark shirt; teeth chewing the soft skin on the inside of his cheek. They were trying to root him out. He knew it. Knew it! He had to do something to throw them off his track. Think man, think! You’re smarter than most of these idiots who work here. Sure, they think they’re better than you with their secret missions and high tech tools. But you! You’re the one they need, they just don’t know it. They don’t treat you with the respect you deserve. But you’ll show them. Oh yes, you’ll show them all. 

The traitor slipped through the camouflaged entrance. Fools. They hadn’t noticed the appearance of this escape path on Campus, just as they hadn’t noticed the changes he’d made in the security system to bypass this gap. He stealthily made his way through the thickets and densely clumped trees until he could see his destination ahead. Pausing to dust off his coat and pick the leaves and branches from his body, he plotted his course for the building. They would never know he’d slipped off of property. No. Just like every other time, he’d pass undetected.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Lucas slipped into his assigned workstation deep in the depths of the HQ building. Besides the security guard’s diligent identification authentication procedure, no one else acknowledged his arrival with more than a quick glance and short nod. The new recruit scanned the expansive room, searching for the one person he hoped to speak with that day. Roberts. He was surprised at how disappointed he felt when he didn’t see his mentor. He’d have to try and find him later. For now, that conversation could wait.

Pulling up the screen, Lucas switched to the monitoring program he’d set up the day before. He was curious to see if the message he’d sent to Captain Bridger had set off any alarms. Huh. Interesting. He let his fingers fly over the keyboard, not noticing as another figure approached his desk. The code was streaming across the monitor faster than the average person could keep track of, but the former teen computer genius had no problem filtering out what was akin to filler in order to focus on the important information. 

He was so focused on his task that he didn’t notice the man standing right behind him, until a sharp clearing of the throat broke the silence. Lucas literally jumped an inch or so in his seat, losing his concentration and the pencil he’d placed between his lips. He spun his chair around to see Gus standing sheepishly in front of him - hands shoved deep in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Um, sorry Lucas. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Uh, that’s okay.” Lucas responded. He wasn’t sure what the older agent handler had seen on the monitor, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t pass off as ordinary. “I was just trying to get more familiar with the code behind the different systems running in the Agency.”

“Yeah, that’s good.” Gus did not appear that interested in what the younger recruit had been up to. “Listen, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was rude and I don’t want you to think I’m that kind o person.”

“Oh, I didn’t think you were rude.” Just an ass.

Any way, I’m sorry. I’m under a lot of stress right now, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Gus reached into the workstation next to Lucas, pulled out his own chair and moved it close. Sitting heavily, the man sighed. “You know about the missing agent, right?” 

Lucas merely nodded. 

Gus’s shoulders visibly drooped. “She’s one of mine.”

Well, that sort of explained things.

“I’m sorry.” He wasn’t exactly sure what to say to the man. “Has any word come on where she is or what’s happened?”

“No.” Gus looked at Lucas directly, his eyes narrowing. “I’m a damn good handler. I’ve never lost an agent before. Ever. It just doesn’t make sense. She was making our prearranged contact on time, every time for months, and then nothing.” He ducked his head slightly, and peered around the room. Then, in a hushed tone, continued. “They’re looking into it. They think there’s a leak, you know.”

“Really?” Lucas found his heart racing a bit faster. Did this man know of the hunt for the mole? Did all the agents know or were there rumors flying around? If they did know, did they suspect him?

“Yeah. Linus in IT told Abbey that they were looking for a traitor in our midst. I just hope they don’t suspect me. Agent Tanaka is one of the best agents we have. I’d never jeopardize anyone’s safety, especially one of my agents.”

“I’m sure it’s just standard protocol. You know, trying to find out what’s happened. She’s the fourth agent to go missing, right?” Lucas already knew that the first three had been confirmed dead. He just didn’t want Gus to know that he was aware of the situation.

“Those other three weren’t mine.” The older agent handler sat taller in his seat, his tone very defensive.

“Oh, no. I wasn’t implying that they were, just that your agent, isn’t the only one.”

Gus seemed to relax a bit, but he was still somewhat agitated. “Right. Right.” He then sat up and stared directly at Lucas. “Anyway, you’re up.”

Confused Lucas asked “Up for what?”

“To get a crack at their government computer systems, of course.” Gus grinned, but Lucas was still a bit lost. “Agent Coordinator Lead Durrow requested that you be brought up to speed as quickly as possible. She thinks your skills could be useful on this one. We have a team meeting at 1700 hours, but until then, I’m supposed to get you started.”

“Which government?”

“Agent Tanaka was sent to infiltrate the government of a relatively small island nation in the East China Sea, which had yet to form an alliance with the UEO, Alliance of Macronesia, or any other rising world power. Since China had retreated and disassociated itself with the rest of the world, this particular country is of great interest to the UEO. The Island’s location itself is of great importance. It’s like an oasis amidst the Macronesian stronghold of Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. The agent’s primary goal was to get in as deep as possible with the government, without giving her affiliation away.” Gus paused to take a breath. He was speaking fast, waving his hands around, punctuating each sentence. “We can’t launch an extraction or a rescue attempt if we don’t know where she is. We don’t even know if we need to.”

“So you want me to hack into the government’s secure computer systems – any one in particular? – and see if I can find evidence of the missing agent?” Lucas was pretty sure that’s exactly what they wanted him to do, but he wasn’t so sure it was going to be that cut and dry.

“Yes! That’s exactly it. I would do the hacking myself – I’m no slouch – but I have a lot of other trails to search and connections to get in contact with. It would help to have someone else – a partner – to sift through this faster. Right now, the focus of this department is to find Agent Tanaka, but even now, we’re spread too thin.”

“Okay.” Lucas was already thinking of the best approach for getting into a foreign government’s system without leaving a trace. He’d had a bit of experience hacking in to computers he really shouldn’t have been, but it had been a while since he’d had approval. Plus, despite playing catch-up over the past few months, he still felt a bit behind the curve on the recent discoveries and developments that had occurred while he was ‘away.’ Regardless, he could feel the excitement building. Lucas stretched his hands in front over the keyboard, itching to get started, and gave his new ‘partner’ a lopsided grin. “So, where do you want me to start?” If there ever was a way in which to become trained fast, this was it.

“Great.” Gus turned to grab a data disk off his own desk and handed it to Lucas. Start with this. It’s some history and cultural information on the country. It’s the primary intelligence data we used to start this mission. We’ve been building on it since, with information filtering in from the field. Once you feel comfortable, start with the Ministry of Defense and the Executive Office and work down from there. The first order of business is to figure out if she’s been ‘made’ and taken prisoner. If not, then we need to find out if she’s in hiding.”

“That doesn’t sound hard at all.” Lucas couldn’t prevent the sarcasm from slipping from his mouth. Gus just looked at him in annoyance. “Sorry. Didn’t mean it that way.” Lucas turned the data disk in his hands.”

“Let me know when you’ve gone through that,” Gus nodded at the disk, “and want me to help get you to the right place to start.”

“Uh, sure. Thanks Gus.” Lucas didn’t have the heart to tell the older, more experienced, handler that he was pretty sure he could take it from here. At age sixteen, he hacked into the World Bank and changed the flow of money – albeit due to poor judgment and the influence of others. Since then, computers had made monumental advances, and so had he. He might not be as fast as he once was, but he most definitely could find his way to the right system to hack. 

Settling back into position in front of his monitor, Lucas slipped the data disk into the port on his CPU. With a click and a whirr the disk engaged and the information began to flow. He leaned in, ready to learn what he needed to get in and out of this government’s system, without leaving a trace. Lucas hadn’t forgotten about the conversation he needed to have with Roberts, or the one he needed to have with Joe Harper, but for now they’d have to wait. Neither of those two individuals appeared to be present in the Command Center at this time, but he could keep an eye out for their arrival while he became acquainted with the information in front of him.

Not more than an hour passed before Lucas heard a familiar voice. He looked up to see John Roberts striding towards Sarah’s office. He wasn’t sure if the older man would pass by without saying hello, or if he’d stop to speak with Lucas for a minute. He didn’t give the man a chance to prove either option as true. Lucas pushed himself back in his chair and tried to stand up quickly. Instead of rising gracefully to his feet, and not alerting anyone other than Roberts, Lucas found himself tripping over the edge of the chair wheelbase and practically falling into John’s path. Luckily, he was able to catch himself on the edge of the desk without making an even larger fool of himself. 

Pulling himself to standing, Lucas found Roberts laughing at him. He could feel the redness creeping into his face, but forced himself to ignore it as much as possible. 

“Very smooth, Wolenczak.” Roberts chuckled, walking closer. “I take it you want to speak to me?”

Disregarding Roberts’ first remark, Lucas nodded. “I do want to talk to you, about our,” he paused, “living arrangements?”

The seasoned COA agent frowned, obviously not expecting that statement. “So it can wait until later?”

“Yeah, just not too late.” Lucas shoved his hands into his pockets and looking Roberts straight in the eye. He didn’t want his mentor to get the impression that this was not important, but he didn’t want to just blurt out in front of everyone that he was pissed off that they were being locked in their dorms at night. Plus, he wanted to know the COA was going through their belongings, or if something more sinister was going on – as Tony suspected.

Roberts stepped closer, reaching out and gripping Lucas’ shoulder. He leaned in a little closer and muttered, “Bench in quad. 2100 hours,” and walked off.

Lucas immediately thought back to the night before Basic Training started. The night Roberts had found him sitting alone, on a bench in the dark. That was the bench the agent was referring to. Nodding to no one in particular, Lucas dropped back into his chair and wheeled himself back to the desk. Now he just needed to talk to the CIO – to find out if the message he’s sent to Captain Bridger had set off any red flags. To his knowledge, it looked as though the note had slipped through the security undetected, but he needed to be sure.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Later, after an afternoon of peeling back layer after layer of levels of security within the East China Sea island’s Ministry of Defense, Lucas felt as though he was finally making headway. For a small nation with very little in terms of valuable natural resources or strong political connections, the computer system was surprisingly more complex than he’d anticipated. Regardless, he’d broken into the database in record time, scrubbing any trace of his presence as he moved deeper and deeper into the files. 

For what felt like the millionth time that day, Lucas closed the file he’d pried open, and dropped back against the backrest of his chair. Nothing. All day he’d dug through file after file, most of them classified with relatively high clearances, yet there had been no sign of anything related to a COA agent. In fact, he hadn’t found anything at all that would lead him to believe that the government of this country had any reason to suspect a covert operative in their midst. Of course, he’d only begun the process, and there was no guarantee that there would be an electronic or paper trace of her exposure or detainment, if Jen had been exposed as a spy.

“Lucas.” Gus popped his head around the workstation divider. “Time for the team meeting.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks. Let me just get myself out of here without setting off any red flags.” He pointed to the monitor in front of him.

“Of course. Just head over to the large conference room at the end of the room. Last door on the side of the offices.”

Lucas didn’t wait to see the direction Gus moved. He’d noticed the conference room yesterday and didn’t need an escort. It was the only private conference room in the entire Command Center. Most meetings were brainstorming sessions and took place between a handful of people at the open round tables found scattered on the floor in and around the workstations. However, if individuals were discussing highly classified information that the other handlers or IT staff should not hear, staff would move into the glass offices or slip into that one large conference room. 

This was the first official COA team meeting Lucas had been asked to attend and he didn’t want to be the last person to enter the room. He finally reached a point where he could stop comfortably. As stealthily as he had entered the system, he slowly closed his path, making sure of course that he’d erased any evidence of his presence. He jotted a quick note on a scrap piece of paper – he needed to remember where he’d been – and scrambled back from the desk. He moved quickly towards the conference room, followed closely by another person. 

Pleased to see that he wasn’t going to be the last to sit down, Lucas pulled out one of the chairs at the oval table. While most eyes immediately moved to him, no one seemed the least bit surprised to see the new recruit at the table. Besides Gus and himself, there were a handful of other agents at the table. He’d met all of them, albeit briefly, over the course of the past two days, and while he couldn’t remember all their names, he could identify that they were representative staff from each of the departments within the Command Center. This included agent handlers, IT and those whose soul task was to gather intelligence and to monitor chatter across the globe. 

The Head Agent Coordinator, Sarah Durrow was the last to enter the room, closing the door behind her. Rather than take a seat, she opted to stand at the head of the table, closest to the wall mounted monitor and control panel.

“All right, let’s get started.” Sarah made quick eye contact with Lucas and smiled. “First of all, I know you’ve all met Lucas, one of the current class of recruits. I asked that he join this meeting because we are tossing him in the fray on this one. What better way to learn than get right in and do the job, right?”

There was some murmuring and nodding in agreement from the individuals seated around the table. Obviously, this was not a new way in which to get new COA agents up to speed. 

Sarah turned to address Lucas directly. “We generally have these meetings at the end of the day – sometimes throughout the day if we are working on anything considered to be ‘hot’ or possibly problematic. As you’re aware, we are trying to locate an agent who recently dropped off the grid. This is not normal behavior and usually sends up red flags within the agency, so we have to treat her silence as a crisis situation.” She gestured to the group. “The people in this room are just a small part of the man power we use to find our agents when we think they might be in trouble. The first step though, is to figure out where she is, if she’s safe, and if she needs to get out. Once we know where we stand, we can organize an extraction team if necessary.”

She turned to address the team as a whole. “Let’s go through what we’ve managed to dig out today. See if we’re any closer then we were this morning. Linus, let’s start with you.”

One by one, each member of the team gave a brief status update, filling the others in on anything new that had cropped up over the course of the day. When Lucas’ turn came, he felt somewhat disappointed that he had nothing of importance to share. However, no one questioned his skills or second-guessed his thoroughness. He enjoyed hearing what the other members of the team had been working on, and it was impressive to see the scope of this particular assignment. Gus had not been exaggerating when he said that this was currently the focus of the department. It sounded as though every available resource was being diverted to finding the missing agent. The meeting broke after an hour, with most of the team returning to their stations to continue with where they’d left off, or with new ideas stemming from the status update.

Lucas had no intention of heading out for the evening either. He wasn’t hungry – it was still early yet – and he didn’t have any place in particular to be until 2100 hours. Before he could reach his desk, he caught a glimpse of the second person he’d hoped to speak with today. Joe Harper was in the glass enclosed server center; his attention completely focused on one machine. The young recruit walked past his own workstation as well as Gus’ towards the glass door. Joe had mentioned giving Lucas a closer look at the hardware they had in the COA’s Command Center, and this was a good opportunity to see what this entire agency staked the lives of their agents on.

Before opening the door, Lucas tapped on the glass. He didn’t want to enter the enclosure unannounced, just in case the CIO did not want him in there at that time. As the former Chief Computer Analyst on seaQuest, Lucas had often been called in to fix errors in the boat’s computer systems, as well as make changes of his own. He’d often find himself deep in the depths of the boat’s technological guts and sometimes preferred doing the work alone. He would become completely immersed in what he was doing and completely cut off from what was occurring around him. Lucas wasn’t sure what Joe Harpers’ work style was, but if he was as focused on his current task as the younger man got, then it was best to give a bit of a warning before barging in.

Harper looked up to see who had tapped on the door, and seeing Lucas, waved him in. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t sure if this was a good time to bother you.”

“No problem, Lucas. Just checking on this machine. I had one of the IT techs take a look this morning, but it still isn’t performing up to standards. I figured I’d look into it myself since I have a minute.” Joe replaced a panel he’d removed, and used a small tool he’d pulled from his pocket to secure it. “Do you have something for me already, or do you want a tour of my baby?” The CIO grinned, patting the console closest to him. 

“Actually, I was hoping to ask you a few questions. About my assignment?” Lucas raised his brows, hoping that the older man would get the hint. This wasn’t a conversation he thought appropriate for all ears.

“It’s okay, Lucas. You can talk openly in here. No bugs, only video feeds –“ he indicated to the corners of the glass enclosure where small red lights were barely noticeable amongst all the computers, “and this center is sound proof.” Harper waved Lucas further into the glass room. “Why don’t I show you what we’ve got back here while you tell me what’s on your mind?”

“Sure.” The younger man moved away from the door and between two columns of impressive hardware. He was very much in awe of what the Agency had managed to squeeze into one central location. He was almost certain that the COA had some other location for backing up all their data, if something were to ever happen to the Command Center. 

“I did a cursory scan of the security system.” He paused, and Harper waited for him to continue. “There were a few things that stuck out immediately, but nothing that could have caused a major leak of information, except for one.”

“Really?”

“It seemed almost too simple when I first saw it, but I think there’s an error in the code tracking the flow of data in and out of the system. Did you happen to get an alert that I sent something out?”

The look of surprise in Harper’s face was enough of an answer. 

“I didn’t think so.” He stated then quickly continued. “It wasn’t any information from the agency itself. I just sent a note to someone who doesn’t even know I’m here. I wrote it to jump from one IP address to another so frequently that it couldn’t be tracked, even if I hadn’t made changes to the origin code as well.” He paused.

“You were able to find this weakness yesterday?” Harper still seemed shocked that Lucas had found this problem so quickly.

“Yes, sir. It was so simple and such a tiny change in the code, that I don’t think anyone would have seen it if they weren’t looking so closely.”

“I’d like to see that source code. Have you made the fix yet?”

“No, not yet. I wanted to see if it would work first. I also want to test it a bit more. Maybe this is how intelligence is leaking out, but maybe it isn’t. With your permission, I want to see if I can send files with the message. You know, make it much more complex and difficult to hide from the security flags.”

“Good idea. Let’s check to see what else can make it through, before you show me exactly where this error is located.” 

Harper was quiet for a moment, apparently contemplating what he’d just heard. Lucas could only presume that the CIO was annoyed and concerned that a possible security leak could come from something that took him such a short time to find. It didn’t speak well of the IT department of one of the most secretive agencies in the UEO, and possibly the world. The older man shook his head and nodded back towards the machines. 

“Since I have you here, want a personal tour before you go back to work?”

Lucas grinned in response. “Hell yeah.”

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Tim O’Neill sank into an oversized armchair, grateful to be spared a few short minutes away from the conference center. The negotiations between the South American and Russian mining colonies was dragging on much longer than he’d anticipated and the conflict resolution mitigation specialists did not appear to be concerned with the time issue. While Tim welcomed the opportunity to use, and therefore improve his Russian, he appreciated the opportunity to take a break - if only for a short while. Both parties had come with their own translator, but the seaQuest Communications Officer was still being relied on heavily. 

At least he wasn’t in Commander Ford’s shoes. They had been at the cetacean observation center for over seven hours, and the commander had not been more than an escort and presence for the duration of the discussions. O’Neill wasn’t sure how much Spanish Ford knew, but suspected it was more than just a little. He seemed to be following much of the one side’s arguments. However, Commander Ford’s role was more as an official representative of the UEO and to report back any progress. Tim could tell that the Commander would rather not be there, but the man was a professional and would never let the miners or the conflict resolution negotiators see his irritation in the assignment.

Commander Ford pushed open the door and strode into the small living space. He immediately walked over to the kitchenette, and poured himself a mug of coffee. 

“Tim, I didn’t see you leave the conference room.”

“Sorry, I snuck out as soon as my services weren’t needed.” He grinned sheepishly. “I needed to get out of that room for a while. There’s only so much talk about deep ocean floor mining for minerals and quarrels over the placement of a border, that one can take before needing a breather.” He sighed. “I can’t believe they have seriously been arguing over a delineation of one foot for seven hours.”

Ford moved towards the ratty couch to the left of Tim’s seat. He placed his mug on the coffee table and lowered himself into the seat. Tim had to stifle a snicker when he saw the commander jerk up suddenly. The man had obviously discovered the same spring that had motivated Tim to move to the armchair.

Seemingly settled, Ford cradled his coffee in his hands and addressed Tim’s statement about the status of negotiations. “Well, if that one foot determines who gets the lion’s share of valuable resources, they could quite possibly argue for several days. If the UEO didn’t send in mediators, it could even get ugly.”

“Why did the UEO step in? It’s not as though either of these colonies supplies a significant amount of minerals to the global economy. It’s pocket change.” He thought for a minute, and before the commander could respond, answered his own question. “McGath and the UEO are worried about what door a conflict in this area could open up.”

Ford nodded, “It wouldn’t take much for Bourne to see their weakness and step in and in favor of one of the colonies, therefore extending Macronesia’s arm into UEO waters.”

“So, basically we are here to keep Macronesia away – seaQuest as a giant sub aquatic bodyguard.”

Ford didn’t answer. The look he gave Tim said it all.

“Guess we should expect to camp here overnight, then.” He was joking, but also a little fearful that the talks would extend well into the night.

“Actually, you missed their announcement when you snuck out. They will continue until 2000 hours at the latest and then retire to their individual accommodations until tomorrow morning. We’ll be escorting the mediators back to seaQuest in an hour.”

Tim was relieved. He didn’t want the talks to go through the night. He’d left his comms console in the capable hands of Lt. Maris, but he didn’t like the idea of relinquishing complete control over the station to someone else for an extended period of time. Plus, he just wanted to sleep in his own bed. Although, life onboard the boat couldn’t be any more exciting than at the cetacean observation center right now. O’Neill smiled to himself. Captain Hudson must be chomping at the bit for something – anything – to keep them busy.

Commander Ford looked at his watch and sighed. He placed his mug back on the coffee table and hauled his body out of the uncomfortable couch. “Looks like it’s time to officially close negotiations for the night and escort our three guests back to seaQuest. Coming?”

“Yes, sir.” Tim stood, straightening his uniform, and followed his superior officer out of the break room.

 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Lucas stepped into the dark night, the brisk air enveloping him almost immediately. He stood at the top of the stairs and looked out across the open quad towards the furthest most benches. He could barely make out the dark shape of a person sitting on the seat where he’d sat and talked with Roberts only a few weeks back. To Lucas, those weeks had each felt like a month. The complete immersion in a program, developed to churn out the best trained, physically fit, and mentally prepared agents, had done its job. The young recruit was feeling less like a newbie these days, and more like someone who was close to being ready to be put to work; to test everything he’d had drummed into his head in such a short period of time. Hell, he was doing the work already. If it weren’t for their epic failure at their first extractions simulation, Lucas imagined that most of the recruits were ready to be assigned their first missions. Perhaps Liz and Sam would not start their COA career by being embedded immediately, but they were certainly in a good position to be assigned to other field teams.

Secretly Lucas wished that he were being considered for a field position instead of one on Campus. Realistically, he knew that he would never accept any role within the agency, but he couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever see him as anything other than a former child genius computer hacker. After all this time, he hoped that he had more to offer than his history. He knew he could hold his own with multiple weapons – and now in hand-to-hand combat thanks to Chief – as well as piloting a variety of aquatic vehicles. His knowledge base far surpassed just what was related to computers and now he could add military strategy and tactical evasion to that list. He sighed. That almost seemed too much to ask for. Even after a year of serving under Captain Hudson’s command, the man still couldn’t see Lucas as more than a kid who had yet to prove himself.

He had spent the past few hours working hard at his workstation. After the personal tour by Joe Harper, Lucas had managed to test the security system’s ability to flag an outgoing message with both small and large sized attachments. He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved that both had set off warnings and nothing had made it through the firewalls. If the mole was getting large amounts of information into enemy territory, he wasn’t doing it on the COA’s computer system. Maybe the mole had found another way to pass data? Maybe the leak was handing information off old school, like that spy in Washington DC who had been arrested for selling US secrets to the Russians in 2001. Regardless, this didn’t make his job any easier. Lucas had easily fixed the glitch that let short notes out – albeit routed through countless random IP addresses first – and focused on digging for more information on the current missing agent. He had barely noticed the passing of time, and almost missed his meeting time with Roberts.

He trotted down the brick stairs and onto the path. At this hour, a large number of the Command Center teams were still below ground. Lucas had to wonder if they ever went home, or if they just lived on Campus. There were a few people walking towards other buildings, but no one paid him any attention. It didn’t take long for Lucas to make his way to the bench. Roberts pointed at the space next to him. Rather than tackle the reason for their meeting at this time and place, the older agent started their conversation with a statement on the recruit’s training.

“I hear you’re doing well, Lucas. Chief Shan was impressed by both you and Piccolo today.”

“Yeah, well it’s a lot easier to impress someone when you were a sixteen year old civilian the last time you met.”

“Maybe. But I’m getting good feedback from everyone. I never doubted you’d excel at this, kid. I knew from our last little adventure that you’d make a good agent.” 

Lucas scoffed at the man’s casual reference to his abduction and imprisonment on enemy soil. ‘Adventure’ was as far from the truth as you could get. Nightmare was more like it. In fact, ‘recurring nightmare’ would be more accurate.

“Are we going to have this discussion again, Agent?” Lucas couldn’t help the sharp tone coming from his mouth. Even if a very tiny part of him had started to trust the man who’d been responsible for his abduction – he would never let this be known. He couldn’t. He still held onto Roberts’ secret and knew that in time, he’d have to make a decision. Tell Captain Bridger and betray his orders, or keep quiet that John Roberts was really Robert Bridger, and deceive the one man he truly trusted and respected. Roberts had placed him in this position, and while he could move on from his kidnapping, he couldn’t forgive the COA agent for this.

“Fine.” Roberts voice hardened immediately. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

Lucas suddenly regretted snapping at the agent. He wanted answers and being the petulant teenager was not the best way of getting them. It may have worked in the past, but he wasn’t a kid anymore and he didn’t have the excuse of youth to peddle.

“I tried to leave the dorm after lights-out last night.” He paused, “and the door was locked. I couldn’t even get off the floor.”

“What were you doing wandering around that late?” Roberts inquired.

“Are you serious? You want to know why I was awake? Why are we being kept in there like a bunch of prisoners?”

“Listen, Lucas. It’s for your own safety.”

Lucas almost laughed in disbelief at the response. That was almost exactly what the security guard had told him. He’d expected a bit more from the man who was supposed to be his mentor.

“How is trapping us on a locked floor for our own safety? Forget the ethics of the situation, but what if there was a fire, or any other emergency where we all had to get out fast? Regardless, what’s the point of locking us in?” Lucas was livid. He hadn’t really considered what Roberts’ response would be, but he apparently had hoped that the man hadn’t known about their situation.

“If there was an emergency, those doors are programmed to unlock immediately, but that’s beside the point. After all the time you’ve been here, you still don’t have a clue, Lucas. I don’t expect you to understand, but you have to just listen to me for a minute. “

“Fine.” 

“Good.” Roberts was visibly annoyed with the younger man, but was very good at keeping his emotions in check. “The dormitory is not just for the new recruits. You of all people questioned the amount of space for so few people. This place sees people coming and going left and right. After long-term missions, covert agents can spend months here before moving to a new assignment or getting a place of their own. Hell, I’m still living on campus and it’s been more than a couple of months for me.”

Lucas looked at the older agent with surprise. He hadn’t known that Roberts was also living there. He’d just assumed that the man lived someplace close by.

“Sometimes, when agents get back, they aren’t ready to mingle with civilians. Some of them have been put through situations that make yours look like a day at SeaWorld. They are in a bad state of mind – some of them violent – and we just can’t trust them on their own. You have no idea how many people who come back from covert operations never go out again. We make sure that the only agents we send into these long-term assignments are mentally ready, but the reality is that sometimes, people crack.” Roberts stopped and stared Lucas directly in the eyes. “That’s why the doors are locked at night.”

Lucas felt embarrassed. “So, it has nothing to do with the current situation or someone going through our belongings.”

“What are you talking about, kid? Someone’s been through your gear?” The older agent obviously found that statement concerning, which made Lucas feel even more unsettled. So, the COA doesn’t routinely searching the recruits’ belongings.

“Both Tony and Dom mentioned that their things were out of place. Tony swears he can tell where in his mess he left his gear, and that it’s not always found in the right place.”

“And you?”

Lucas shrugged. “My locker is pretty much as organized as it should be. If someone’s been in there, I guess they wouldn’t have too hard a time putting stuff back where they found it. I haven’t noticed anything out of place.”

Roberts pushed himself to standing, and paced back and forth in front of the bench. “The Agency goes through belongings when recruits first enter the program. Once they know what you have, and take what you aren’t supposed to have, they don’t bother to do it again. It’s not as though recruits get any mail or any opportunities to get off Campus.” Roberts stopped moving. “There’s something else going on here.”

“You think the same person as the one you’re looking for?” Lucas queried, trying not to be too vague, but also not spelling the existence of the mole out.

“Maybe…” The older man stroked his chin, deep in thought. “But we’re tracking the short list, both electronically and physically. We’ve got a few people tailed the moment they step off campus, and eyes on them while they are on campus.”

“Well, what if you’re watching the wrong people?” Lucas voiced the one thought that raced through his head.

“Not a chance, Lucas. Not a chance.” Roberts shot the young recruit a lopsided grin. “I always get my man. Always.” He pondered that thought for a moment, “But I must admit, I didn’t account for this new information. Let me check out the video surveillance in the dorms and I’ll get back to you. For now, keep this quiet, okay?”

“Sure. But my guess is that if the three of us have noticed something off, the others must have too.”

“Probably. But still, don’t talk about it anymore than you need to.”

“Fine.” Lucas conceded, although he felt as though he didn’t have much say regardless. “Next steps?”

“Lay low, keep doing what you’re doing, and prove to the COA I’m an awesome judge of agency material.” He winked at Lucas, lightening up the somber mood.

“Whatever,” Lucas shook his head in mock irritation. His anger had long gone. The opportunity to let his frustration out on the one person in this place he felt deserved it had been cathartic, but the reality of their prisoner-like status was not lost on him. He truly had not considered the state of mind that some of these agents returned in, but he of all people should be sympathetic. It’d been weeks, and he still wasn’t over his short ordeal in Macronesian territory.

The young man turned back towards the dorms. It was late and he hadn’t even left the Command Center for dinner, but he’d lost his appetite hours ago. Piccolo would probably wonder what had happened, but he was notorious for getting caught up in his work – especially when it involved a computer – so an excuse was easy to come by. 

“Hey, kid.” 

Lucas stopped and turned slightly back towards his mentor.

“You’re doing great. I’m proud of you.”

For the tiniest moment, the man in front of him could have been Nathan Bridger instead of his grown son - the facial expression, the tone of voice, hell, even the choice of words. And Lucas, for that split second, wanted to believe that his captain – the true captain of seaQuest, was really there. He’d forgotten how much he valued the older man’s opinion and how he desperately sought his approval. But no, Captain Bridger was on his island, in the Yucatan Peninsula, probably scratching his head at the cryptic and short note he’d received. Hopefully, he wasn’t too angry that Lucas hadn’t kept up his part of the bargain about maintaining constant updates. The man standing there, giving him the reassurance he wanted so badly was Robert Bridger. The person who he really wanted to trust and respect, but could not quite get himself to do so.

“Thanks,” Lucas mumbled. He shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking back to the dorms.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Two weeks later

“Go, go, go!” Dominic yelled from a dark corner. 

Lucas and Tony couldn’t see him, but they could see a thin line of light coming from a few yards away. Together, they shouldered the weight of the man suspended between them, ignoring the screams of pain coming from their bodies, and rushed towards the perceived exit. To his left, Lucas could hear the short, loud bursts of a hand weapon, and a thud of something heavy hitting the ground. He grunted as he tried to maneuver his half of the weight, and he could hear Piccolo’s labored breaths over the noise coming from all directions. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Lucas spotted movement. After weeks of conditioning, both recruits reacted quickly and without hesitation.

“Drop.” 

It took only that one word from his partner, for Lucas to prepare to accept the full weight of their shared load, and drop to the ground. In a fraction of a second, Piccolo had pulled his weapon and fired at the threat. A perfect hit. Pulling his injured team member back up, Lucas headed directly for the escape, knowing that Tony had his back. 

He never stopped moving, never stopped checking his peripheral vision and never stopped to check if his team was with him. He knew, without looking, where each of them was. Not one of them had failed the team, or their ‘fallen’ member. Lucas reached a wall and stopped. A sliver of light was coming from behind a pile of stacked crates. He carefully lowered his injured teammate to the ground and pushed at the boxes. They were heavy, but they moved. Without much time to spare, he pushed harder, revealing a wood slate wall separating them from freedom. Using the toe of his boot, and whatever strength he had left, Lucas kicked over and over again, until the wood started to splinter. He gripped the planks with his bare hands managing to create a large enough space for an average sized man to barely make it through. He immediately grabbed his fallen friend and maneuvered him towards space. 

“You got him?”

Lucas was not surprised to hear Dom’s voice.

“Yeah. The others?”

“Piccolo and Liz are on flank, Niko has transport ready and the other team will meet us at the rendezvous point.” 

The dark area was suddenly lit up with active weapons – from both sides – and Dom practically shoved Lucas towards the exit. “Go first, pull him through. We’ll follow.”

It was the most practical decision and Lucas just nodded. He dropped to his belly and wiggled through the tight space, ignoring the aching of his ribs. The moment he was clear, he reached back through the opening for his teammate. With a firm grasp under his shoulders, Lucas managed to get him free and was immediately followed by Dom. Tony was the last to scramble free. They didn’t stop to catch their breath. Rather, the three recruits pulled their unconscious teammate further from the building to safety. 

Before they could get to the tree line, a truck hurdled down the dirt path kicking up a large cloud of dust and debris. It screeched to a halt directly in front of them, and all three men grinned from ear to ear when Niko threw the drivers door open. 

“Get in, fast. The others are out. We’ve got less than five minutes on the clock.”

Lucas scrambled into the bed of the truck, turning to take the weight of their unconscious member. Piccolo climbed up last, barely making it in before the door closed and the vehicle started moving. They both leaned against the side of the truck bed, holding their muscles taut so their bodies’ would bang against the metal as they moved over the rough surface. 

Lucas wiped at the dirt on his face and glanced at his friend. If he looked anything like Piccolo right now, he was a mess. Tony caught his eye, raised an eyebrow and then grinned - the white of his teeth in stark contrast to the dirt and soot and blood on his face. Lucas couldn’t help himself. He laughed. It first slipped out as a small chuckle, but then erupted into a full-fledged belly laugh. Tony joined in, not holding back either. Both men gripped the edge of the truck bed with one hand to keep themselves upright, and with the other cradled their smattering of injuries sustained on the mission. Lucas couldn’t tell if they were laughing because both men looked so ridiculous, or because they were exhausted to the point of hysteria. It didn’t matter. Regardless of how tired they were, or how much they hurt, they were both relieved to be out, in one piece, and with all team members accounted for.

The truck stopped and both men stifled their chuckles. It was time to be professional again. The driver’s side and passenger side doors swung open, and Niko and Dom hopped out. They banged on the side of the truck, not bothering to hide their own grins, and wrenched the bed door open. 

“Everybody out,” Niko called, reaching out to give Piccolo a hand first. 

“We make it?” Piccolo’s feet hit the ground and he immediately searched their surroundings. 

Lucas followed suit, leaving the unconscious Andre in the truck for the time being.

“Looks like it,” Dom responded, pointing to the rest of their recruit class who were making their way over towards them. 

All of a sudden, applause broke out. The recruits looked up to see a large number of COA agents stepping out from within the trees. If he had to guess, Lucas would venture that there were at least fifty of them there. Some of them he recognized, others were equally as dirty as the recruits, but all of them were cheering for the recruits.

“Here!” One of the men tossed Lucas a small vial. “Better wake him up,” indicating towards Andre. “Don’t want Sleeping Beauty to miss this part.” 

Lucas took the small glass vial to their teammate who had been willing to play the part of the hapless victim, and poured the liquid into his mouth. It took no more than a second or two for the former law enforcement explosives expert to regain consciousness – his initial response one of confusion.

“Wha -?” Andre scrambled into a seated expression, staring wildly around at the large group of people now surrounding the vehicle. “D’d we w’n?

Lucas laughed. “I’m pretty sure we did.”

“Fan-fucking- tastic man,” the ‘victim’ mumbled, and then groaned as he eased himself to the ground.

“Wha’d you g’ve me? Feel like I jus’ woke up the mornin’ af’er a bender.” 

The agent who’d handed Lucas the vial just laughed and clapped Andre on the back. “Don’t worry man, it’ll wear off in a minute. Here, have some water.” A plastic bottle of water was shoved in his hands, and Andre gulped it down as fast as he could.

At that moment, Lucas realized how thirsty he was. In fact, he felt as though he’d inhaled half the dirt on the road they’d just travelled, and most of that dirt was stuck in his throat. Almost as if reading his mind, the COA agents magically pulled a large cooler out of hiding and started tossing bottles to the rest of the recruits. Lucas greedily accepted his and immediately drank it all.

“Congratulations recruits!” Chief Shan’s voice rose above the chatter that had come with the congregation of such a large group, still reeling from the experience, and adrenaline pumping through their veins. Silence settled immediately. 

“Your performance today has without a doubt redeemed each and every one of you from your monumental failure during your first Extractions simulation. Over the course of the last six hours, you have proven yourselves worthy of a place within the COA and I’d be more than proud to have any of you on one of my extractions teams.” Shan walked through the group, and shook the hand of every recruit. When he came to Lucas, he clapped him on the back as well. 

“Gather your gear, ladies and gentlemen. These guys here,” Shan gestured to the agents who’d made up the congratulatory committee, “will give you a ride back to the dorm. Get showered up, grab some grub and have a rest. You’ve earned it. My men were ordered not to go easy on you. If any of you sustained an injury more serious than a scrape of bruise, see a medic right away. Don’t be a hero. Dismissed.”

Lucas looked at the dirty and bloodied appearance of his teammates. Shan had not been exaggerating when he’d told the recruits that the final test would be brutal. Over the course of the last six hours, the recruits had been ripped from bed and given two minutes to pull on boots and a sweatshirt before being blindfolded, gagged, and tossed into the back of a vehicle. They’d been split into two groups and Lucas had found himself deep in the woods with Piccolo, Dom, and Anna. With only a poorly drawn map and one small pulse hand pistol between them, they’d been instructed to locate and rescue the rest of their team, who were being held prisoner in an unknown location.

They’d managed to make their way through the woods, towards an old abandoned building. Throughout the test, they’d been shot at, knocked down, and at one point, Lucas had taken a hard kick to the ribs. He rubbed the area tentatively. He didn’t think anything was broken, or even cracked, but they sure did hurt. 

Lucas was proud of what they’d accomplished. They’d held tight as a team, and managed to find the second group watched by fully armed guards. With the skills they’d honed, the four had taken the guards by surprise and overpowered them, gaining new weapons in the process. They’d been shocked however, to find that Andre was missing. The second part of their mission was to find and rescue the missing man – who’d been drugged to render him unconscious – and to get them all out alive.

The haggard, yet happy, group of recruits piled into a large supply truck commandeered for this particular task. Lucas found himself sandwiched between Anna and Niko and directly opposite Dom. His roommate shot him the double thumbs up and all he could do in response was smile tiredly. He wasn’t the only one who was starting to feel the residual effect of the extended adrenaline rush. He was crashing and he knew it. Lucas couldn’t remember how long it had taken them to be transported out into the middle of nowhere for this test. At the time, he was so confused and disoriented that he wasn’t paying much attention to time. The ride back seemed longer, and he was having a hard time keeping his head up and his eyes open. 

He could feel Anna’s weigh pressing more and more heavily against his side, and every few seconds, she would jerk a bit. With heavy eyes, he glanced at her and smiled. She was struggling, fighting really, to keep her eyes open, but failing miserably. They’d slowly fall shut and she’d jerk them back open, only to repeat the process again and again. To his left, Niko was doing a little better. The man had his head back, resting against the side of the truck and his eyes were completely closed. Lucas was looking forward to a long, hot shower, and then sliding under his covers for hopefully more than two hours of sleep. He had no clue what time it was, nor did he really care at that moment, but Lucas was pretty sure that they didn’t have anywhere to be for a while. They’d probably have some sort of evaluation of their actions later, as they did with Chief Shan after every simulation, but maybe they’d hold off on that for a few hours. For now, he was just going to give in and close his eyes until they told him to get off the truck.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

He sat alone at the table, pushing his fake scrambled egg-like product around his plate. The dinning hall was empty. It was still very early in the day, but most of the COA staff had already come and gone. Lucas assumed that the other recruits were fast asleep in their bunks. Despite being exhausted to the core, Lucas could not sleep for more than an hour. He’d woken up with a racing heart rate and the feeling as though he’d forgotten to do something. He just couldn’t put his finger on what. 

“This seat taken?” 

Lucas looked up and was surprised to see Anna. He hadn’t expected any of his team to be awake right now. 

“Nope. It’s all yours.” Lucas pushed his plate of uneaten food away, and rubbed his weary eyes. “How come you’re not taking advantage of the extra time to sleep?”

“Can’t.” She took the sugar dispenser and poured an exorbitant amount of the white granules into her mug of coffee, while Lucas just looked at her, waiting for more. Nothing more came.

“Not tired?” he pressed.

“No,” Anna sighed. “I’m exhausted. I just can’t fall asleep.” She closed her eyes, one of which was sporting a slowly darkening bruise from their earlier test, and took a long sip of her hot coffee. “I keep thinking that maybe I made the wrong decision. Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

Lucas was taken aback. “Really? Why?”

Anna placed her mug down on the table, and touched a cut on her lower lip tentatively. As she looked up at Lucas, she just looked…lost. 

“I don’t know. It just feels like I’m completely out of place here. You all have a background in the military, or another law enforcement branch, and I come from the corporate world. I’m a communicator for Godsake!” She slammed her hand against the table. Not hard, but hard enough to make a bit of coffee splash out. Lucas grabbed a napkin and placed it on the mess, not bothering to wipe.

“Well, for a communicator, you seem to be doing just fine. I mean, you’re holding your own on every single test we’re given, including this last extractions simulation. I would totally trust you to have my back out there.”

She gave Lucas a grateful smile. “Thanks Lucas. That’s sweet.”

“No, it’s not sweet. It’s the truth. Your aim is just as good as mine, you’re quick to react and you have good instincts. That’s pretty good for someone who comes from a desk job in corporate America.”

“You think I’m as good a shot as you?” Now, she really smiled.

“Of course. If you don’t believe me, we could always set up a test at the range.” He grinned back at her.

“It’s just that sometimes I want to be more than a company’s mouthpiece or ‘face.’ I want to be a part of the team. I liked the extractions simulation. Does that make me weird?”

The seaQuest ensign laughed. “No, I think that just makes you just like the rest of us.” Lucas had long ago given up on eating his breakfast. “I’m not supposed to be assigned field work either you know. I’m being trained for gathering intelligence and handling covert agents.” 

“Of course, you were a boy-genius after all. I wouldn’t have expected them to waste your computer skills.”

“Yeah, well sometimes it’s nice to do something a little different for a change. At least, we’ve both had a chance to prove that we are good enough for something other than what we were recruited for. Maybe, if you’re persuasive enough, you can get them to reassign you.”

“Right. Maybe.” She chewed her lip, lost in thought. “You really think I’m good enough to go into the field?”

“Sure. When I first joined seaQuest, I was a civilian there to do research as part of the science team. I had absolutely no military training whatsoever. Then, after we all –“ he paused, “got back, Captain Hudson gave me a choice. Sign up or get off the boat. I signed up. I’d never fired a weapon, never taken any sort of self defense and pretty much had no clue how to defend myself, let alone a team.”

“But they trained you on the job.”

Lucas gave her a look that spoke a thousand words. “Not really. I mean, Commander Ford and a few of the other officers started training me after my first mission.” He shook his head. “It’s not like I’d never been in a dangerous position before. Believe me, I’d seen my fair share. It’s just that I was never expected to be the one to save the day. I was supposed to be the computer genius who just happened to know how to pilot a small sub.” It was Lucas’ turn to take an introspective look at the last year on seaQuest and how it differed to the few weeks he’d spent on the COA campus. “It’s almost like. Well, it’s almost like the Captain was continuously testing me. To see when I’d break. I don’t think he ever really expected me to join the UEO Navy just to stay on seaQuest. I think he thought I’d just walk away.”

“Did you? Break, I mean.” Anna leaned closer.

Lucas stared at her for a minute, thinking. “I don’t think so. Ford and Brody really helped me with weapons training and hand-to-hand combat. Also helped me with a lot of the basics involved in military missions - hand signals, tactics. You know. Stuff we’ve covered here too. Without that, I’m not sure what would have happened.”

“Do you miss it?” Anna asked. 

“Miss what? seaQuest?”

She nodded. 

“I miss my friends. I miss the routine, the excitement of moving on to new places. It’s my home. The only home and family I’ve had for a long time.”

“So why’d you decide to accept the place in this recruitment class? If you like being on seaQuest so much, why’d you leave?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m tired of feeling as though I’m not wanted, or that they’re just waiting for me to screw up.” He paused and gave his teammate a sad smile. “Or maybe it’s because Agent Roberts is a very, very persuasive person.” He didn’t bother to mention that it wasn’t Lucas who’d been persuaded to leave his boat shortly after returning from leave. Whomever John Roberts had spoken with to get both Lucas and Tony off of seaQuest on onto this assignment, had been willing to go along with the plan, regardless of what it might entail.

“You’re lucky though. You came with your friend. Tony seems to be fitting in extremely well here.”

“Yes. Yes he is.” Lucas was beginning to think that Piccolo was going to end up staying with the COA. Here, they appreciated the skills that Tony brought to the agency. They were teaching him to make better use of his gills, and surprisingly, his experience as a con from way back in the day, was actually considered useful here. The COA was about as far from a typical UEO military branch as you could get. Different seemed to work well.

Both recruits were quiet. Lucas looked up at the clock mounted above the door, and was only slightly surprised that it was already 1000 hours already. He knew he didn’t have to be in the Command Center until much later, and debated whether or not he should even bother to get some sleep. 

“Hey, Lucas?” Anna broke the silence. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” 

He didn’t know what to say. Was he supposed to just open up and tell her that during the mission, when they’d found themselves surrounded by a wall of flames, he’d had a sudden flashback to his last mission? That now, whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was fire and smoke, and he immediately started to feel his throat closing up? No. This wasn’t the same as giving a reason as to why he was here instead of on seaQuest. He was supposed to have a good reason for leaving his boat and crew. It was part of his assignment. He had to show them that he wanted to be there. Wanted to be a part of this agency. He just couldn’t show weakness right now - even if he did like and respect her.

“I don’t know, really. I think it’s the adrenaline from earlier. I’m still a little revved up from the test, I guess. Can’t settle down.” 

“You look pretty exhausted to me, Lucas. In the past ten minutes, you’ve yawned about twenty times. I’m going back to bed. You should too.” She slowly pushed back from the table and stood up to go. 

Lucas followed suit, and immediately regretting moving so quickly. His ribs screamed in protest and he grimaced as he wrapped an arm around his middle.

Anna looked at him with concern. “You hurt?”

“It’s nothing.” When he saw her disbelieving frown, he added “Really. I just took a bit of a hit to my ribs and I think it aggravated an old injury.”

“Maybe you should get it checked out. Just to be sure.”

Lucas smiled, already recovered from the short stab of pain. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. I know what broken ribs feel like, and this is not it. Pretty sure I’m going to have one awesome bruise by tomorrow though.”

Anna didn’t look as though she believed him, but after a long-scrutinizing glare, must have decided that he was smart enough not to keep a serious injury to himself. 

“Thanks again, Lucas.”

“For what?” He inquired. 

“For making me feel like I belong – that maybe I can be more than a desk jockey here.”

“You’re welcome, Anna.” Lucas smiled shyly. “Now go to bed. I’ll see you later.”

She gave a quick nod and a wave before heading back to her own room and own bed. 

Lucas ran his hand through his hair. While it was still very short – much shorter than he would ever have chosen for himself – it had grown while he was away from ‘home.’ He hadn’t decided if he would keep it short, but it was something that had crossed his mind more than once. It was much easier to handle in a ‘hot’ situation and he didn’t have to bother with pushing it back behind his ears constantly. Still, he sometimes found himself moving to adjust the phantom hair on occasion, especially when he was anxious.

There was no point in even trying to fall asleep right now. If he was having flashbacks of the fire at the pseudo-Chaodai station when he closed his eyes, he could only imagine that those images and emotions would completely take over his dreams if he were to allow himself to fall asleep. He didn’t want that right now. His roommates didn’t deserve to be woken up with a broken man’s screams when they were just as exhausted as he was. 

No. He was just going to head towards the Command Center and check on the alert program he’d set up to flag any electronic correspondence of interest that could be related to the missing agent. In the past two weeks they’d heard nothing from her or about her. It was as though she’d vanished. Roberts was convinced that no news of her execution was positive. If the small country had captured and accused her of spying, the news would be all over the global network. He was certain that she was lying low, and probably in a position where she could not under any circumstances alert the COA of her location or status. Lucas wasn’t so sure. In his experience, people could disappear – and had – without leaving any evidence. However, Roberts was an experienced agent who had been embedded in a hostile situation for a very long time. Since Lucas was pretty certain Agent Tanaka had not been abducted by aliens and taken to a distant planet, it was possible she could be hiding out somewhere, and therefore not leaving any electronic trace for him to track.

Lucas had barely made it halfway up the stairs leading to the HQ entrance, when the wooden door swung open with force and Linus stumbled out. The IT wiz stopped in his tracks and stared at Lucas blankly for a fraction of a second. Then, almost as suddenly as he appeared, he lunged for the younger recruit and grabbed him by the upper arm.

“Good. Get your ass inside, Wolenczak. We need your help.”

Lucas was a little taken aback, but immediately followed. If Linus was this worked up, it must be something big.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Unable to get any information from the computer tech, Lucas followed him down the hallways, stairs and deep underground into the highly secure Command Center. He had to hustle to keep up with the older man, as Linus was in a very big hurry to get back to work.

As they slipped past the security guard and raced down the hall towards the main room, Lucas attempted to engage the man again. 

“Hey Linus, what’s going on?”

“She established contact. At least, we think it was her. Gus is working on breaking the encryption and deciphering the code now.”

“Wait. The missing agent established contact? How?” Lucas just about stopped before the glass enclosure. 

“Yes,” Linus sighed, his exasperation evident.

Even with Linus’ back turned towards him, Lucas could hear the eye roll in his voice. 

“At least, we think it’s from her. Pretty sure. An encrypted message sent to the COA. Wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, but had a high alert code attached.”

Over the course of the past few weeks, Lucas had learned that each agent handler and covert agent used their own personal code to conceal the content of their correspondence. While the agency as a whole maintained a constant method for encryption, the information sent between the agent and handler were even more secure. The deciphering key was kept highly classified, and was only shared with another if something – such as death or abduction –was to befall the agent. Since Gus was Tanaka’s handler, he was the one who had the responsibility of deciphering her message. If for some reason they were wrong, and this particular alert came from someone else, Gus would get nothing.

“What do you need me to do?”

By this time, they’d reached the conference room. Lucas was not surprised to see that the space had been taken over by the small team assigned to this situation. The walls were covered with maps, and the computer monitor mounted on the main wall was lowered to reveal what looked to be a very detailed topographic map of the island and surrounding waters. As Lucas looked closer, he saw that the map was not a map. In fact, it was a live satellite image of the area. Very cool.

“We can’t trace it.” Linus now stared at him directly. His need to hurry now gone.

“Okay.” Lucas was confused. Surely they traced everything that came in? As far as he was aware, they’d been able to pinpoint the exact location of every piece of information, email, attempted call, etc, that had made it’s way through the agency’s security. Why was this any different? “Why not?”

Now, not only was Linus staring at him as though he had two heads, but his arrival had been noticed by the rest of the people in the room.

Nina, hunched over a palm-top at the far end of the conference table, was the one to respond. “Because we’ve got the best damned trained covert agents in the world and they just are that good.” She winked at Lucas, before pulling up a screen to replace the satellite image. “Even the embedded agents are phenomenal with just about any computer they can get their hands on. They are trained to make sure that anything they sent to us in HQ, go through more IP addresses in more countries than the average computer genius can follow. That’s what happened with this alert. If we knew where she was, we could have placed a watch on the area of origin to pin point her location exactly, but we don’t even know if she’s still on the island.”

“And you want me to see if I can find the origin of the message?”

“We’ve all tried. We can’t get it.”

“Unless you get another one.”

“Exactly.” Nina gave him a sly smile. “But we haven’t let you have a crack at it yet? Think you can do it?”

Suddenly, Lucas no longer felt tired. In fact, he felt surprisingly rejuvenated. He loved a good challenge, and while he wasn’t sure he would succeed where the other’s failed, he was certainly going to try. 

“I don’t know.” He paused for a minute, thinking about what he’d need. “I’m going to need my computer. Who first pulled the message?”

Linus piped in, “I did.”

“Okay, I’m going to need everything you got right before and right after. Also, her last known location?”

“Alright, go. I’ll pull everything for you.” Nina waved him off. “Sarah’s going to be out in a minute and she’ll probably want to know where you are when Gus breaks the code.”

Lucas rushed to his desk and immediately got to work. He needed to know as much as he could in order to back track the path the electronic message had taken. It took a second to get his fingers moving as fast as he’d like, but in no time, he had multiple lines flashing across the map on his screen. Whoever had sent the note – presumably the missing agent – was good, but he was pretty sure he could figure out at least a general location of the origin. He just needed a little time.

Two hours later, Lucas dropped his head on the desk and lightly hit it against the wood a couple of times before leaning back in the seat. He hated to admit it, but he was stumped. He’d tried every logarithm he knew, but he couldn’t get past one particular block. He raised his hand and placed them behind his head. Chewing on his bottom lip, he stared at his monitor, hoping to see something he hadn’t seen before. 

“Ha! Got it!” He heard Gus exclaim from the work station next to his. The older handler stood up in a hurry, knocking his chair onto the floor, and rushing towards the conference room.

Lucas quickly followed Gus, knowing that there could be something in the message that could help him pin point the origin of the note. It was also possible that she would have given them a specific location. It was highly doubtful, but not out of the question. The conference room filled quickly. Everyone was on edge, waiting for the older agent handler to finally break the code. Lucas wasn’t sure if it was typical for the decoding to take such a long time, but regardless, he wanted to know what was sent and if it really was from Agent Tanaka.

Gus scrambled to the CPU and inserted the disk. Immediately the monitor flipped to the encrypted and coded message. As the older man typed furiously on the keyboard, the letters, numbers and symbols stared to rearrange themselves and transform into intelligible words.

Alive. Safe. Possibly made. Low. Contact soon. P1 Intel to come

There was an audible sigh of relief from the collective group. For the past month, they’d all assumed the worst. In reality, their embedded agent was safe and that was all that mattered. While she may be made and trying to keep from being picked up, she hadn’t been handed the same fate as the three previous agents. 

Lucas did know that P1 indicated information of the highest priority. Perhaps Tanaka had found something that jeopardized her position. Maybe it wasn’t the mole after all. Regardless, it looked as though she was going to need a bit of help getting out of there. While it was of the highest importance to get agents out alive, the COA was adamant that their involvement in a mission, or uninvited presence in an enemy country, be kept completely under wraps. They were an agency that technically did not exist. They did not want that cover blown. Now, they’d have to wait and see what kind of information the agent could leak out, or if her next message would be a call for an extraction.

Sarah stood in front of the group and started the discussion over the message, the possible implications and the scenarios they were to begin to explore. Before the next message came through, they were going to have a selection of plausible next steps to insure that this agent came home soon, and alive. Even if she wasn’t in danger, the reality of being identified as a ‘spy’ was enough to bring her home. They couldn’t jeopardize the agency as a whole. It would be best that she slip out with as much information as she could gather.

Lucas found himself looking towards his own desk and the tracing system. From his seat in the conference room, he could see his monitor and the bright red lines moving rapidly other his monitor. He wasn’t needed in the room right now, and he was itching to get back to work. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Roberts slip into the room. He immediately made eye contact with the older man. As if he could read Lucas’ mind, Roberts raised his eyebrows and lifted his chin, indicating that Lucas should get out of there and back to work. The young recruit nodded in appreciation, and tried to sneak out of the room without causing too much disruption.

He hadn’t expected Roberts to follow him out, but found the seasoned agent bumping into him in the door. Lucas looked up to the man in confusion. In response, he got a quick nod and saw the man pat his own right pocket with two fingers. The younger man frowned, but kept walking. Roberts did not follow. 

When he reached his desk, Lucas slipped his hand into his own right pocket, and wrapped his fingers around a small wad of paper. Looking to see if anyone was paying attention, and finding that most people were too enthralled with the turn of events surrounding the missing agent’s position, Lucas pulled the paper from his pocket. He quickly smoothed the tiny torn piece until he could read the text. All it said was ‘We got him.’

Looking towards the glass walls of the conference room, Lucas could see Roberts glance at him out of the corner of his eye. The older agent nodded slightly, then turned his attention back to the interior of the room. Lucas wasn’t sure what to make of this. What the note implied was that they had the mole. Did that mean they’d taken him in and were questioning him? Or, that they were tracking him? Who was the mole? Then finally it dawned on him. His role in the COA was over. Did this mean that Roberts was going to ship both Piccolo and himself back to seaQuest as soon as possible, or were they going to get to see this play out to the end? He felt a little guilty for wanting to delay his return home, but Lucas also was very curious to witness the process of getting an agent out, from this perspective, rather than being one of the people needing an extraction.

All of a sudden, a small alert icon on his desktop started flashing. Shoving the small piece of paper back into his pocket, Lucas put all thoughts of the mole and his possible identity aside. He switched screens, keeping the location tracker on Jen’s message in a minimized window, and immediately started to look through what his recently designed and buried program had just found from within the small country’s highest level of government’s files. It didn’t take long for Lucas to pull some data that at first glance looked harmless. There was something that didn’t mesh though. Lucas scrolled through row after row of numbers – the further along he got into the information, the more it didn’t make sense. He was looking through financial records of the country, and scrutinizing the funding allocations over the course of the past twelve months. He wasn’t a financial expert, nor did he really wish to be, but the numbers appeared to be ‘off’ and the sudden changes in allocations to national security, military resources, and the executive office were alarming.

Lucas stopped for a minute, taking a break to close his eyes. With a sudden jolt of memory, Lucas sat up straight in his seat, his eyes wide and alert. Of course! Fingers moving quickly to keep up with his brain, the young recruit pulled up email after email from within the country’s highest office, that he’d flagged earlier that week. Alone, they didn’t make sense, but with the financial information at hand, Lucas had a good idea of what was going on within the borders of that country and he needed to get it to the team as quickly as possible. Hitting ‘save,’ first, Lucas ejected the data disk and raced back to the conference room.

His entrance was not graceful. He plowed through the door and immediately made his way to the CPU, where Sarah Durrow was standing. With his mind so focused on his finding, he didn’t even acknowledge the fact that he’d interrupted the Head Agent Coordinator in the middle of a sentence, or that most of the people in attendance were staring at him with their mouths open. It wasn’t until he had the data disk in the drive and had frantically pulled the information up onto the screen that he realized his mistake.

“Uh, sorry.” He directed his apology at Sarah, but then immediately hunched back over the keyboard, flicking through the files until he had what he wanted, visible for all to see. “This is important and I think it has relevance to what Agent Tanaka has been doing.” He paced back and forth at the head of the table, unable to control the animation in his hand gestures. 

“Go ahead, Lucas. What have you found?” It was evident that Sarah was not exactly thrilled at the way in which the young recruit had barged into the discussions, but she was well aware of his ability to pull from a computer what no other agent on her team could – despite each of them being the best in the world.

“Okay, so by itself this appears harmless. A memo from the President to one of his advisors -- who just happens to be the Commanding General of the Army -- indicating that he’s starting to think that an alliance with the UEO would be most beneficial to his country. He goes on about how he’s had meetings with some strategic experts and while he’s still not certain this is the route to go, he wants to look into it further. He specifically requests some scenarios on how the neighboring countries would react to this particular direction. I imagine that because of their location within the East China Sea, this probably wouldn’t go over too well.” 

Lucas paused and glanced over at Roberts, who was still leaning up against the glass wall. While the man looked to be taking him seriously, he couldn’t hide the glint of amusement in his eye. Lucas scowled slightly before moving on. “Anyway, there is a lot of back and forth conversation, some attachments that indicate that the Commanding General is not too thrilled with this idea.” 

“Hey Wolenczak, we get it. The head of the Army disagrees with the President. What’s the significance?” This interruption came from one of the other handlers who’d been assigned to one of the lost agents.

“This.” Lucas quickly pulled the financial data up on the screen and scrolled up through the dates. “Today, this information was flagged. Let’s look back at an earlier date, one that precedes the first correspondence between these two key players. Here. Take a look at this. Funding allocations for weapons and vehicles for the military. For the past few years, this amount has not varied much. You can justify for the slight annual increases as an increase in overhead costs. It’s the same across all divisions of the government. Nothing interesting. But, if you look at the months following the first messages sent from the President, you can see that the military budget gets a significant bump here --” Lucas pointed to one entry, “here, and here. That’s three significant increases in three months.”

He stopped and looked around the room. It was apparent that they were all starting to see what he had.

Roberts stepped up and was the first to speak, “So the assumption we can make is that the Commanding General of the Army is in disagreement with President Itou’s decision to pursue and alliance with the UEO as opposed to staying neutral or aligning with Macronesia. Any evidence the General is sympathetic to Bourne?”

“No. At least nothing I’ve found so far.” Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. “I have my search programmed to immediately flag any mention of the Chaodai or Macronesia, but nothing has come up other than these particular notes.”  
“Anything else we need to be filled in on?”

“Uh no. Still no luck on tracing the message from the embedded agent, but I still have my search running.” 

“Okay.” Roberts nodded at Lucas and the younger man took this as an indication that he should sit back down with the rest of the group. “First of all, we don’t know if this is the intel that Agent Tanaka alluded to. We also don’t know who she suspects has evidence of her position with this agency. At this point, it could be someone in the military, the President’s Office, or someone completely unrelated to this particular information. What we do know is that it appears as though the military is building up to something big. Much bigger than this country has seen in years. So, with the new information on hand, we are going to have to make some adjustments to our scenarios. Let’s get to it.” 

Roberts turned to Sarah, who again moved to the head of the room. It was her agent, her team, and she was skilled at making the calls on what her people needed both in the field and in the office. As she had been before Lucas had interrupted, she’d take the lead on developing the options for getting Jen Tanaka out of her mission and back on UEO soil.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Later, Lucas found himself sitting back at his workstation, fighting to stay awake. The longer he stared at the red lines jumping from point to point across the map on his screen the blurrier his vision got. At one point, he wasn’t even aware that he’d closed his eyes until the sound of someone dropping something heavy, woke him from his sleep-deprived state. He’d jumped at the sound, knocking over a stack of papers and almost spilling a half-full glass of water. Now, he found himself staring at the clock debating whether or not it was worth it to get an hour of sleep before he had to report to Extractions Training for a review of their final simulation, or if he should just tough it out here. Regardless of the choice, he was past the point of productivity. 

In his youth, he’d never have thought twice about pulling an all-nighter in order to complete an assignment, or get the information that he needed. Although, in his defense, he hadn’t spent half the night fighting for survival and taking a physical beating before sitting down in front of the computer back then either. Sighing heavily, Lucas gathered the items he’d need for the classroom review, and turned his security settings on his machine. He wanted the program to continue to run while he was gone, he just didn’t want anyone to fiddle with it before he could get back.

The walk to the training classroom was short, but the fresh air did nothing to revive his energy. He was completely burned out. Lucas stopped short when he realized that they would probably spend the next three hours sitting in the dark, going through the simulation footage frame by frame, while Chief Shan pointed out their errors and initiated a discussion of alternative responses. Three hours in the dark seemed like a nightmare right now. If he couldn’t keep his eyes open in the busy Command Center, how was he going to stay awake through this? He contemplated just going back to his dorm room and plopping down onto his own bed, but knew he’d never make it to the classroom on time if he fell asleep. 

Even though he’d known Shan for many years, there was no way the Extractions Chief was going to cut him any slack. In fact, over the course of this particular training, Shan had pushed Lucas harder than the other recruits. It was almost as if he had something to prove. Lucas assumed it was because they were both from seaQuest and the boat was known equally for the quality of her crew as she was for her physical attributes. At least Piccolo was being pushed equally as hard. Lucas wasn’t bitter. Not at all. Because they’d been picked on a little more than the rest, he felt as though he and Tony had improved the most. Plus, Lucas had been hell bent on trying to prove that he wasn’t just that teenage computer nerd anymore. He was a UEO Navy officer, even without the official Navy training.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs, Lucas pushed on towards the classroom. He would grab a cup of coffee from the break room before the review started, and if he had to drink ten cups during the course of those three hours just to stay awake, then that’s what he’d do.

He didn’t quite make it as far as he thought before he found he weight of his eyelids becoming too much to bear. Less than five minutes after he’d set his cup down and slipped into his usual seat, Lucas rested his head in his arms and fell asleep lying over the desk. Slightly confused and disoriented, he awoke fifty minutes later when his teammates started to filter in. Rubbing his face with his hands, he steeled himself to stay awake for a while longer.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It was dark and no one noticed him break off from the group. He was easily able to slip back into the night, towards the aquatic center, without anyone realizing he’d gone. He knew where all the security cameras and sensors were located. And while it was impossible to go anywhere on campus without your steps being monitored, his presence in any of the buildings would never be questioned. Like all the training centers, this one required an identification card swipe just to enter but none of the higher tech security features. If he’d wanted to access the more advanced or expensive equipment, the security would be tighter, but tonight he didn’t need any of that. He just needed to get into the room.

There was an audible click as the door unlocked. He glanced quickly behind him before slipping in, not opening the door wider than he needed for his body to fit through. He knew his way around the large building and therefore did not need a flashlight or any other light source. Even if he hadn’t known the place well, he’d have opted for night vision goggles anyway. Passing through the large pool and swim tank, he pushed open the door of the men’s locker room to the equipment cabinet. He rifled through the gear until he found what he was looking for. It took less than ten minutes to make the switch in parts. That should work just fine. He grinned to himself as he slipped the small metal piece into his pocket. It was just what this one needed – he needed to be dropped down a peg or two in his sense of superiority.

As quietly and as stealthily as he’d entered, he slipped back out of the building and towards the group he’d left not fifteen minutes earlier. Yes, he was getting better at moving around unnoticed. Now was the time to up the ante.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Lucas sat alone in the dorm room. He’d managed to make it through the entire extractions review session without nodding off more than a handful of times. He’d been lucky that each time he’d closed his eyes for longer than a fraction of a second Andre had nudged him back awake. He was grateful that his new teammates were looking out for him. It would have been embarrassing to be caught sleeping. Even though they had completed their final simulation, and had reviews after each of the previous tests, this particular review was equally as important as the first. It was when they received pointers on what they’d done wrong, and how they could avoid those mistakes in the future.

Fortunately for the entire group, they’d done exceptionally well, a direct quote from Shan, and his corrections were relatively minor. What Lucas had been surprised to learn, was that each of them was going to be assigned a place on an active extractions team, and had to successfully complete one real mission before they could graduate from a COA recruit to active agent. While they weren’t guaranteed an actual extraction per say, there were plenty of other objectives assigned to these teams. 

Throughout their training program, they’d learned that the term “extractions” was misleading. Instead of being responsible for going in and bringing back embedded agents and persons of interests, this group of agents was also assigned field-based intelligence gathering, security details, and short-term surveillance missions. If they needed a body on the ground, air, or in the water, but not embedded into a country or organization, an extractions team was put together based on particular skills, and deployed to the region. This sounded very much like what Shan had been responsible for during his tour on seaQuest, and Lucas was intrigued to hear of some of his exploits with the COA. 

Now he found himself barely able to stand up, let alone have dinner in the dining hall with the rest of their group. The last time his ribs ached this badly was after the beating he’d received by Mason Freeman when John had held Lucas prisoner on Macronesia. Nice reminder. He knew they weren’t broken though. The slight grinding feeling was absent and a lovely shade of blue was starting to appear in patches across his chest. He couldn’t have identified the agent masquerading as an enemy in a line up, but if that guy was to come at him again with another kick to the ribs, he’d more likely than not remember his foot. Lucas’ face had pretty much come out of the test unscathed. He couldn’t say the same for most of his team. Anna had been sporting a painful looking cut on her lip along with a black eye, and Sam’s one eye was swollen almost completely shut. Piccolo was limping slightly – which he vehemently denied – and Liz had suffered a mild concussion. 

In fact, everyone but Andre was wearing a visible badge of honor. Despite his sorry state, Lucas smiled to himself. Andre had not been happy when he woke up and had regained enough of his senses to realize that he’d basically missed the entire experience. They’d administered a drug early in the simulation to knock him on his ass for hours. Only the antidote from the extractions test team had revived his sense. At least he was a good sport about the whole ordeal. During their extractions review, he’d even jokingly asked if that meant he was going to have to be tested all over again. 

Resting his head in his hands, the young ensign and temporary COA recruit groaned. He was so exhausted that he didn’t even think he could muster up the energy to remove his boots. Hell, he could have fallen asleep in that position if he thought he’d remain like that all night. He’d fallen asleep in a lot of strange places, and in strange positions, but he needed a full night’s sleep tonight. That meant changing his clothes and actually lying down on the bed.

Just as he managed to change into his sweats and crawl under the covers, the door swung open and the lights flicked on. Lucas groaned again and pulled his pillow over his head. 

“Sorry Lucas. Didn’t know you were in here already.”

Lucas’ muffled response came from under the pillow. “I’m asleep, Tony.”

“Sure you are. And I’m the tooth fairy.” Piccolo chuckled. “Why didn’t you come to dinner? Hetty made pie. Pie, Lucas. It was awesome. Best pie ever.” 

“Too tired to eat” was the clipped answer.

“Wanna play some poker with the guys?” Tony was now rummaging through his locker, most probably looking for his lucky hat again.

“No. Need sleep. Night, Tony.” That was the last he was going to mutter, and Piccolo didn’t bother to push further. The two men knew each other well, and there was no way that Tony hadn’t noticed Lucas not sleeping earlier, or that Lucas had been having a hard time staying awake in the review.

He didn’t know how long he’d been sleeping, but it was long enough to leave a drool puddle on his pillow. Lucas rolled onto his back, wiping the corner of his mouth. He shivered, and realizing he had somehow kicked off his blankets, he reached down to pull them back up. As he tried to settle back into a comfortable position, Lucas suddenly opened his eyes with a start. Something had woken him up. It wasn’t his body reacting to the lack of blankets or another dream. Rather, he was certain he’d heard something other than Tony’s incessant snoring that had pulled him back from sleep.

He didn’t move. Instead, he tried to make himself as still as possible, slowing his own breathing down to a point where he could hear the slightest sound. It was then that he realized he couldn’t hear Dom -- at all. While the man was not as loud a sleeper as Tony, he wasn’t silent either. Right now, Lucas couldn’t even hear the man breath. Not wanting to move too much, Lucas peered over the edge of his bunk towards Dom’s single bed. As his eyes acclimated to the change, Lucas realized that he was looking at – nothing. The bed was empty and Dom was gone. It must have been the door closing that woke him.

He lay back against his pillow, relieved. He hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until that point. Dom must have just stepped out to use the bathroom, or maybe even grab a glass of water. With the dorm on lockdown each night, there weren’t many places the guy could go. Lucas closed his eyes again, willing himself to fall back asleep, but sleep just wouldn’t come. Instead he found himself lying in the dark, thinking back on the reason he and Tony had ended up in this place, and what was expected of them from here on out. When they’d first been unceremoniously pulled off of seaQuest, he’d been under the impression that this assignment would not take long. Maybe three or for weeks, tops. But here they were, almost two months in, and looking at COA recruit graduation in a very short time. Was Captain Hudson aware that they were going to be gone this long? Was he angry? Would he take this out on Lucas – probably not on Piccolo – when he returned? An even more sinister thought popped into his head; would Hudson even let him back on seaQuest if the COA was interested in keeping him? 

He wasn’t sure what he wanted more: their friends wondering why they were at OCS for such a long time and questioning their whereabouts, or not thinking about them at all. But most of all, he worried that Captain Bridger was angry for the lack of contact. Sure, he’d managed that one unsigned note, but he’d left Bridger’s Island promising that he’d keep in constant contact with the old captain. Something he desperately wanted to do. 

He closed his eyes and imagined sitting at the end of the pier – legs dangling over the water. If he was to envision the perfect setting, it would include his friend Darwin leaping in the water in front of him. Lucas could almost hear the sound of water lapping against the wooden piles and feel the warmth of the sun on his face. It wasn’t long before this visualization technique left him breathing slowly and falling back into a deep sleep.

He rolled over and opened his eyes. With a quick glance at the clock, he was surprised to see that he’d only slept an hour. He rubbed his eyes, attempting to clear his blurred vision, and looked towards Dom’s bed. The man had not returned to their room. His bed was still empty. Lucas forced his body upright and pulled his covers to the side. He swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and placed them on the chilled floor. He wanted to pull his feet back into the warmth of the bed, but his curiosity was a much stronger driver. There was no way that Dom could still be in the bathroom. There was a chance he’d slept enough earlier in the day and no longer was tired, in which case he’d most probably be in the common room. 

Lucas pushed open the door dividing the men’s hall from the common area, fully expecting to see Dom sitting on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table. He stopped short when he realized that the room was completely dark. There was no one there. He frowned in confusion and then looked back down the hall. He walked down to the bathroom and pushed the door open. Dark. Just like the common room. Where the hell had Dom gone? 

He went back to the common room and the door to the stairwell. As anticipated, the security officer monitoring the recruits turned on the intercom.

“Mr. Wolenczak. Do we have to go through this again?”

“Hey, has anyone come through here tonight? After we went into lockdown?”

“You know the drill, recruit. The doors are locked and barring an emergency – or orders from HQ – they stay locked until 0500.”

“You sure, no one?”

Silence.

Lucas just glared ahead, not having a face to focus on. “So there’s no chance anyone can slip out without you noticing?”

“No. Now go back to your bunk, Wolenczak”

“Fine.” He turned back the way he’d come. Something was fishy, and he’d bet money –which he currently did not have – on Dom being caught up in something he shouldn’t be. Before, he’d thought that maybe the mole could have been one of them, but had dismissed it quickly. They were all new to the COA and the problem with information leaking out had preceded their arrival. All of them except Dom. He had a history of working within HQ for years before going through the training process again for reassignment. Maybe he was angry that he’d had to prove his worth after years of service? Maybe he just had a bone to pick? Lucas had no idea what his roommate’s motive would be for selling out his colleagues and friends, but if he was guilty the price was going to be very high.

Feeling somewhat hurt that his friend just might be the one responsible for the deaths of three agents and the endangerment of a fourth, Lucas reached for his door handle and stopped. This could be an opportunity for them to catch him in the act. Roberts had mentioned that they “had him,” and Lucas had assumed that meant they’d identified the mole. Maybe they were tracking his movements now, or maybe they had the wrong guy. 

He turned on his heels and ran back into the common room.

“Listen, I want you to let me out of here now. I need to speak to Agent Roberts immediately.” He had no one in particular to address this order too, but knew the security team was watching him on monitors.

“Recruit, --“ the intercom clicked to life, but Lucas didn’t give the speaker the chance to continue.

“No, this is an emergency. If you won’t unlock this door, you can better believe that I’ll do it myself. If you know anything about me, you’ll understand that I can do it in minutes.”

“That’ll just set off the alarms, recruit.”

“Perfect. Then maybe someone will actually listen to me. Let. Me. out.”

“Fine. Agent Roberts will be notified and we’ll have someone there shortly. Do not touch the locks, Wolenczak.”

Lucas paced angrily back and forth in front of the door. This was ridiculous. In the time he’d been waiting, Dom could have managed to do just about anything. Hell, if he was able to slip out of the dorm undetected, then who knows how easily he could get off campus without anyone being the wiser.

The lock clicked and the door swung open. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see Roberts himself standing there, but he was. It had been mere minutes since he’d threatened the security officer, which means that Roberts had been close by. Very close by.

“Kid, please tell me that you have something good and aren’t just trying to ruin the only three hours of uninterrupted sleep I’ve had in weeks.” While his tone was somewhat weary, Lucas could tell from the older man’s eyes that he knew something important had happened, and the young recruit appreciated that level of trust.

“Can we talk someplace else?” Lucas looked up to where he could only presume the security monitors were located. 

Roberts nodded and let the young man through the doorway. They both heard as the door clicked shut and locked behind them. They remained quiet until they got outside and several paces from the building. Lucas immediately turned to Roberts and pointed angrily at the building.

“Dom slipped out and hasn’t come back. I checked and he’s not up there. I thought you had the guy!”

“We do. And it’s not Dominic.” Roberts frowned. “When you found the loophole in security, we were able to tag some messages going out from one of the handlers to an unidentified recipient off shore. He had no idea you’d found the weakness, so he was oblivious to the alerts he was setting off each time. We want to catch him – and his contact – red handed, so he’s being tailed 24/7.”

It was Lucas’s turn to be confused. “What? So it can’t be Dom then.”

“Don’t be so quick, Kid. Tell me what happened this evening.”

Lucas took a moment to describe Dom’s disappearance and Roberts did not interrupt once. He stopped to take a breath and waited for Roberts to respond.

“Listen, we’ve been under the assumption that there is just one mole in this agency. There has never been much evidence to suspect more than one. Hell, we didn’t even know who the traitor was until very recently. We can’t jump to conclusions and accuse Dom of selling out the agency. At least not yet. We need proof. And to get proof, we can’t tip him off. Got it? For all we know, he could have a girlfriend stashed nearby and he’s using his skills to get on and off campus without setting off the alarms.” Roberts shook his head. “Jesus. I used to think this place was iron-tight in terms of security. Looks as though we are going to be doing a serious overhaul on this place soon. If we’ve got two traitors in our midst, who’s to say we don’t have more.” 

At this point, Roberts looked like a man who’d had slept very little and carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Lucas had seen this look before; on Roberts’ father when he’d learned something about a respected colleague that he didn’t want to hear. It was disappointment and perhaps a little disillusionment as well, and Lucas felt as though he should say something reassuring. He didn’t get the chance. Roberts face immediately hardened as he moved back into the mindset of a covert agent.

“Go back to bed. Pretend you never noticed. If anyone asks, tell them you had a nightmare and had to get up to clear your head.” Roberts shot Lucas a knowing look, and the younger man wondered how much this agent really knew about what was going through his head. “Whatever you do, do not let Dom know you think something is off. I’m on it. If he’s sour, we’ll catch him in the act. This goes no further than this. We’re getting Jen out alive this time. No more agents are going to die.”

It was at that moment that Lucas realized how much of John Roberts, aka Robert Bridger’s, life was attached to this agency. The older man had forsaken his own identity, family and home for a job. It may be an important job – for both national and UEO safety – but it had required a level of dedication and deprivation that Lucas couldn’t imagine. If he’d ever even considered joining the COA for a split second, Lucas knew he’d have made the wrong decision. There was no way he’d ever give up his friends, home, or unconventional family for this particular agency. He’d fight for the rights of UEO citizens in his own way - with his friends.

“You’re living in the dorms too.” It wasn’t a question. Lucas merely stated a fact that he’d failed to realize before then. He’d always just assumed that the seasoned agent had some sort of home within close proximity to COA headquarters. But, Roberts had made it to the recruit floor in minutes, even noting that he’d been woken from sleep. No one could move that fast, unless they were sleeping in the same building.

“Comes with the territory, Kid. When you spent years at a time in other countries, you end up with no place to call home but the agency.”

“Sounds like an awesome life.” Lucas couldn’t keep the sarcasm at bay, even though on a small scale he felt bad for the guy. But this was also the man who had a father and son relatively close-by, but was willing to leave them in the dark about his existence. He would give anything to have family like that, but Roberts was more committed to his responsibilities to the agency then he was to his own blood.

“We make sacrifices, Lucas. This is one of them. I made a decision years ago to protect my country and the member nations of the UEO. It’s one I don’t regret, and if it means this place is my home, then so be it.”

“I get it, Roberts. You’re a patriotic citizen. I just don’t think that’s a decision most people would want to make. Me included.”

“I figured as much, Kid. You’re pretty adamant that this isn’t where you want to be. But for the record, you’d make an exceptional agent. Your performance here has surpassed anything we could have expected from you.”

He knew he’d done better than expected in the physical aspects of training, but he wouldn’t consider himself to have excelled. Satisfied that the man wasn’t dishing out his own dose of sarcasm, Lucas just dismissed those comments. He wasn’t going to let any amount of praise persuade him to choose the COA over seaQuest. Instead, he returned to the topic that had brought them both out there in the very early hours of the morning.

“So, I’m supposed to ignore the fact that I’m rooming with a possible traitor and pretend that everything is cool. What if he’s out there right now selling out another COA agent to the highest bidder?”

“We’ll get him, Lucas. If he is the one we’ve been looking for, or if he’s working with the other guy, we need to catch him. We need to know who he’s sharing classified information with, how he’s been doing it, and I don’t know about you, but I’m interested in why as well.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? As in, you’ll keep your mouth closed? You can’t even tell Piccolo, Lucas. Understood?”

“Yeah. Understood.” He didn’t like it, but there were a lot of things he’d done over the past year that he didn’t particularly like or agree with.

“Go back to bed. Get some sleep. You look like hell.” The words weren’t exactly comforting, but Roberts’ voice had lost its hard edge. The man was showing as much concern for Lucas as he had intermittently during their stint in Macronesia. 

Lucas nodded. But before he turned back to the dorms, he had one last question. “You heading back in?”  
“Nah. Going over to HQ to do some follow-up.” Before Lucas could respond, Roberts added, “And no, you can’t come. Bed. Now.”

“Fine.” He wrapped his arms around his torso, only now noticing how cold it was. He didn’t think he’d be able to go back to sleep, but he wouldn’t mind getting back under the covers. There was no doubt in his mind that he could never go back to an easy camaraderie with Dom, since the man was now a suspected traitor, but he’d have to try. Maybe the best course of action would be to try and avoid the guy as much as possible until he was taken into custody, or proved to just be an idiot. Lucas rather hoped he was an idiot who had found a way to sneak off campus for innocent activities, rather than to sell classified information to enemy countries.

He was in luck. As he made his way back up the stairs to the locked floor door – which immediately unlocked at his arrival – and into his room, he found that Dom was still absent. Lucas looked at the clock. The morning alarm would alert in less than two hours. If his roommate expected to get back in without raising any suspicions, he’d have to do it soon. He toed his shoes off and climbed back into bed fully expecting to have to pretend to be asleep when the missing man returned. Instead he slipped into a restless slumber until the wake up alarm sounded.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Lucas sat up straight in his seat, staring at his monitor screen in shock. “I got it,” he mumbled to himself, then again louder. He shot up, knocking his chair backwards onto the floor and ran towards the conference room. A confused group of COA staff backed off suddenly, aware that the younger man wasn’t going to stop even if they were in his way. He was completely focused on what he’d found.

“I’ve got her location,” he blurted out to the small group who’d gathered in the room. They all looked up at him in surprise as he practically lunged for the computer.

Sarah Durow was the first to respond. “Where?” She squinted at the screen as Lucas pulled his data up, following the red lines of pathways until it settled. “The Presidential Compound?” Even she was surprised at this.

“Yeah. But that’s the closest I can get. I can’t narrow it down any further.”

“The Compound covers a large area, and there have got to be hundreds, if not thousands, of computers spread out over that entire location, but it’s more than we had before.” She smiled, “ and it gives us a better idea of where to start. Good work, Wolenczak.” 

“Thanks.” Before Lucas could say anything else, Roberts strode in. 

“We’ve got another message from Agent Tanaka. We need to get the team in here now.” 

It seemed like mere minutes, but the room was soon filled with staff from key parts of the Agency. Included were Sarah and Roberts, but also Shan and Abe Donovan, their recruit training officer who also happened to be a strategic analyst. 

“Listen up, team. We have to move fast. We’ve got a general location on Agent Tananka, placing her within the property of the Presidential Compound. We also just received an encrypted message identified as being from our agent, requesting immediate, emergency extraction -- for two. The President is a target for assassination, his cabinet has been taken hostage and he has requested immediate assistance from the UEO.” He paused briefly, letting that information sink in, before moving on. “The UEO is sending a team to negotiate – forcefully if necessary – to secure the cabinet’s release. We are moving in to extract both Agent Tanaka and President Itou and to move him to a secure location.” 

Roberts pulled up a more detailed satellite image of the Compound and looked at the group in front of him. “At this time, only key personnel are needed. Everyone else is excused.”

As Lucas, and a number of other COA staff members in the room, stood to leave, he took a quick glance at those who intended to stay. It was no surprise that Shan and Donovan were among them. If they were going to act fast, a game plan would have to be put in play immediately and this team was responsible for making sure that they covered all bases. Lucas just wondered how they were going to get the agent and president out, without a pinpointed location. 

Walking back to his workstation, he noticed a change in the conference room glass walls. Someone had activated the privacy switch and the glass turned opaque in front of his eyes. Now, the only thing he could do was to get back to work.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Captain Hudson was relieved that their ‘babysitting’ duty was finally over. The mining colonies had come to an agreement and no level of threat had been perceived anywhere close to their location. The UEO had proclaimed it a successful endeavor, but Hudson had just rolled his eyes. His crew, his boat, had been taken off patrol in conflict-ridden areas, to provide a taxi service and security detail for a handful of UEO suits. Now they could move on and he couldn’t wait.

He strode with purpose onto his bridge. They were headed deep into the Pacific Ocean and closer to the areas of conflict between Macronesian and UEO waters. Routine patrols had been neglected and they were an important part of keeping the ‘conflict’ from turning into an all-out war. Hudson had barely made it to the Captain’s Chair before the communications console lit up and Lt. O’Neill turned around. The look on his face said it all.

“Captain, Secretary McGath on the line. It’s urgent. He’d like to speak to both you and Commander Ford.”

“Fine. Send it to the Ward Room.” Hudson turned and nodded at his Ex-O. “Lt. Henderson, you have the bridge.”

“Aye sir.”

The door closed behind them, and Hudson pressed the button connecting them to McGath’s vidlink.

“Secretary General.” His greeting was curt, and relayed his ‘no nonsense’ attitude.

“Captain Hudson.” McGath’s face was grim. “We’ve received an urgent distress call from the island of Yonaguni in the East China Sea. President Itou has been in conversations with the UEO Council to discuss the possibility of joining, but recently lost contact. We’ve just been informed that Commanding General of the Army has taken the President’s cabinet hostage and the President himself is in hiding. We need seaQuest to head to Yonaguni immediately to launch a rescue effort to liberate the cabinet members and to escort them to safety.”

“And the President?” Commander Ford spoke up.

“He will be pulled by another team. Your primary responsibility is that cabinet. Without them and the President, the country will fall the General, who is known as having an interest in business with Macronesia.” 

“Any word on the Macronesian Alliance moving in yet?” The captain stared at the image of the Secretary General on the screen.

“No. There has been no sign of movement from Macronesia. This information just came over the wire minutes ago, so there’s no telling how soon Bourne might move. I don’t need to tell you gentlemen how volatile those waters are.”

“Over ninety percent of the nations in both the South and East China Seas are part of the Macronesian Alliance, with the rest standing independent. Just maneuvering through those waters and staying within neutral zones will take some finesse.”

“We should have some more details ready for you once you’ve set your coordinates. I’m sending you some classified information now to get you familiar with the country and it’s political background. And some satellite imagery and blueprints of the Presidential Compound. We have reason to believe that the cabinet is still being held on those grounds.”

The file icons appeared on the console in the middle of the Ward Room’s only conference table, and Hudson noted the level of clearance needed to open them. High, but not beyond what a number of his crew could access.

“Got them. Anything else, Mr. Secretary?”

“I’ll be in touch. Out.” 

McGath’s image blinked off the screen, and Hudson immediately pulled up the files they’d been sent. Overall, it wasn’t much to go on, but knowing the UEO heads, there would be more than enough coming soon. Right now, they just needed to get the their course adjusted to a safe distance from the area, before they determined where exactly to launch the rescue from. 

“Commander, get a small team together and brief them. I’ll be on the bridge.” 

“Yes sir,” The Ex-O responded and reached for his PAL.

Captain Hudson immediately headed back towards the bridge. Already running through his head were various scenarios for how they could approach this mission, even without specific details.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Flashing lights overhead and an alert klaxon grabbed Lucas’ attention immediately. In the short time he’d been on the COA’s Campus, he’d never experienced this before. Within seconds, an electronic voice could be heard, 

“Teams A and B, report to Staging Area 2. Teams A and B, report to Staging Area 2.” 

Lucas looked up towards Gus, who just shrugged. “They are pulling together the extractions team.”

He knew from training that the entire extractions division was relatively large compared to the rest of the agency. Each individual in that department had a very specialized skill set, which were called upon based on the circumstances. Lucas wasn’t exactly sure who made up Teams A and B, but he combined, they must be a large group.

The automated alert was interrupted, and Lucas almost froze in shock. The electronic voice was replaced by that of Chief Shan.

“All recruits, report to Staging Area 2. All recruits, Staging Area 2.”

“What?” He stared open-mouthed at Gus, who just laughed.

“Better get a move on, recruit. Looks like you guys are going to get your final test before graduation.”

Lucas looked at his desk and then towards the door, almost as if he was undecided as to what he should do. Surely they needed him here with the computers? This thought took a mere fraction of a second and before he had time to really think about the answer, he was headed through the large Command Center and out of the building. 

It was easy to spot those who were part of Teams A and B. From every direction of the quad, individuals were jogging towards the assigned area. Lucas slowed down when he saw Piccolo emerge from the aquatic center and gave him a moment to catch up.

“Dude, what the hell is going on?” 

“They have a lead on the missing agent. They’re going in to get her.”

“Yeah? What about us?”

“Don’t know, but this might be our final proficiency. Pretty sure we’re actually supposed to go on a field mission before we can graduate.”

“Huh. Guess it can’t be too different from any of our other missions with seaQuest.” Piccolo shrugged.

They reached the open door of the large building and stepped inside. The place wasn’t that difficult to navigate. Basically it was a large warehouse that could be manipulated to resemble a number of different scenarios. In the back were three larger rooms where most missions were mapped out and orders given. Noting that almost all the recruits were there, Lucas and Tony headed into the center-most room, and slipped into empty seats near the back. The room was filling up fast mostly with individuals they’d only seen in passing and some of whom they’d never met before. 

Craning his neck, Lucas searched the room for the one person he was not sure if he wanted to see. There in the corner towards the front of the room, was Dominic – grinning from ear to ear. The man looked as though he couldn’t wait to be sent on his first official mission with the COA, his years of serving in the Command Center over. The UEO ensign felt a gnawing in his gut. This just wasn’t right. If Dom really was the mole, then surely he wouldn’t be sent out with the extraction team? He didn’t have time to think about this any more as Chief Shan stepped up to the front of the large group, flanked by John Roberts and several the Lead Agents for both Extractions Teams A and B.

“Let’s get started.” The room dimmed slowly and a screen descended from the ceiling. Immediately the noise level in the room was reduced to nothing. All eyes and ears were fully trained on the coordination heads – every man and women focused on the job ahead.

After a brief, yet thorough description of the task at hand – to retrieve the embedded agent and the President of the island Yonaguni – Shan moved on to the specific details of their mission and the tactical maneuvers.

“Agent Tanaka and President Itou are located here.” Shan pulled up a map of the island, focused specifically on the Presidential Compound, and pointed out a small space between the President’s main office and the shore. “When the Army General took the Cabinet hostage, Agent Tanaka was able to pull the President into the secret passages beneath the compound and they are currently holed up below ground.” He paused and increased the resolution on the satellite image, zooming in on the area near the ocean. “This is where we are going in for the retrieval. We are going to pull two teams together on this one, and not all of you will be included. Some of you will remain here, others will be assigned to the on-the-ground rescue team, and a smaller group will be in the water. We are going to go in fast and silent. The Army General, to our knowledge, does not know the identity of our agent and is unaware that Itou has company. Last known intel has the unfriendlies believing the president is in lockdown in the Presidential residence. Let’s keep it that way.”

“We’ll have a small submersible deployed to the area through this passage,” Shan indicated on the map. “Once we get in place, we’ll get two swimmers wet here. At this point, we know there is an escape pod but no docking station, at the end of the escape route. The swimmers will make it to land and give the all clear before we put the ground team on land.” 

Roberts stepped in to continue. “We don’t know where along the passage Agent Tanaka and President Itou are currently stationed. We will need to move to this location point,” Roberts tapped on the map, pointing out a small building near the edge of a cliff, high above the underwater escape exit, and then pulled up thermal image of the same place. “We know that this building is built directly above the passage. From what we can determine from the blueprints, there use to be a shortcut to the passage from this point. It appears to have been covered and not completely filled. We’ll be using this cover to blow a hole just big enough for our team to fit through to access that tunnel. If our calculations are correct, we can minimize any damage to the tunnel and maintain it’s structural integrity with low-level explosives. However, the blast will be enough to alert security. The ground team will have to move fast to get the two targets into that escape pod and into open waters. Once the pod is deployed, the submersible will pick the team up here.” 

Roberts turned and nodded at Shan who stepped forward again. “Before we identify the specific team roles, are there any questions?”

A woman in the back row stood.

“Walmer.”

“What about the President’s Cabinet, sir? Who will be pulling them out if our mission only includes our agent and Itou?”

“An official request has been sent to the UEO on behalf of the President of Yonaguni. Effective an hour ago, seaQuest has been on course to launch a parallel mission to pull the cabinet out.” 

With that, Lucas felt an elbow in his side. He turned slightly to look at Tony, who grinned in response. He couldn’t help but smile in reply. They both knew that their colleagues were well equipped to deal with the assigned task, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be dangerous.

“Let’s get on to assignments.” Shan pulled a roster onto the screen. “Recruits, we are going to use this exercise as a final proficiency test. Unlike the previous simulations, we will not be assigning all of you to this mission, nor will you be working as one team. Those who have been selected will be working with seasoned extraction team members to ensure the success of this assignment. Those of you who are not selected, will be working the mission from HQ and your role will be no less important.” 

Lucas stared at the screen and squinted to see if his name was there. He fully expected to see it missing, since he’d been told from the beginning of training that he was pulled in specifically for his computer skills. To his astonishment, not only did he see his own name listed as part of the ground team, but also Anna, Andre and Dominic. He was not surprised however to see Piccolo as one of the two “swimmers” assigned the mission. The gilled man was almost a shoe-in for that position. No other recruit had been slotted for aquatic training, and he could only presume that no other agent in the COA was in possession of a set of gills. Niko, who was a skilled medic, was assigned to the transport sub, but Sam and Liz were not listed at all. Neither of them looked very happy. While their absence on the roster could probably be explained due to the chosen career path of the future embedded covert agents, he imagined that it didn’t make the sting any less painful. 

“All right. Anyone whose name is not on the list, you know the drill. See your team lead and stick close. We’ll have an active operations team on standby and will be monitoring the mission from home base. Dismissed. Those of you up, stay here for the details.” 

The group started wane and it whittled down to the selected few. Once the majority of Teams A and B had moved on, the smaller group moved closer to the front of the staging room, where Chief Shan and John Roberts had remained. The noise level was significantly reduced by the mere reduction in numbers and the recruits exchanged nervously excited smiles. 

Roberts addressed the small extractions team first. “As you seasoned agents know, this is a much larger extractions team than usual. We want to accommodate the final proficiency for a few of the recruits and since all but two have prior military experience, we felt we could manage. This is going to be a quick in and out operation. Our primary goal is to get the two targets out fast, without alerting the unfriendlies.”

“In one hour, we’re heading to the landing pad to take the transport helicopter to our Alaskan base, where we’ll pick up our transport sub. All equipment is currently being loaded, including your individual aquatic gear.” Shan nodded at Piccolo and Sheila Jones, the other swimmer assigned to the mission. Recruits, you’re going to need to get suited up in fatigues. You can get those, and your firearms, before boarding the chopper. The supply officer will sort you out.”

Roberts started passing out tablets for each of the extraction team members. Lucas took his and immediately looked at the files installed for this particular assignment. 

“The flight to Alaska is long. Take advantage of the time and review all the attached information until it’s ingrained in your memories. Specifically, know the layout of this particular area like the back of your hand. If you come under fire, you’re not going to have time to consult your maps and blueprints. You’re going to have to use any information you can commit to memory to get the mission accomplished.” 

“Moe, I want you to become very familiar with the waters in this area.” Shan addressed the team’s assigned pilot. “There is very little neutral water in this area. Stick to it as much as possible, then I want you to move in as low as possible without alerting the Macronesian patrols or those associated with the independent Asian nations. You have to get close enough to deploy the swimmers without giving away your presence. Niko, you’re the assigned medic for this assignment. The transport sub has a fully stocked med kit. Let’s hope you don’t need it.”

“Piccolo, Jones. You’re going in to assess the situation. Check the escape pod to ensure that it’s still a viable escape option. Then move on to the shore. The ground team will await your all clear before proceeding. Once they are on dry land, you’re going back in the water to monitor the area. The sub won’t be able to get that close, so you’re going to be our eyes. We are going to have you move in under the cover of darkness, so review the marine topography in detail.”

The Extraction Chief then turned to the remaining team, which consisted of the last four recruits and two seasoned extractions agents. Lucas recognized both the COA staff from their earlier simulations; Mina Sejal and Lyle Toms.

“Andre, you’re working with Toms on explosives. The rest of you are going in under the leadership of Sejal. She’s manned more successful extractions than anyone else on staff, so it goes without saying that you’re in good hands. Any questions?”

Up to this point, the team had been very quiet. The resounding “No sir” echoed in the large and primarily empty room.

“Good. Get suited up. You’ve got 30 minutes to get yourself to heli-pad one. Dismissed.”

They scrambled to collect their belongings before moving out the staging area and out towards the supply center. Lucas found himself surprisingly excited for this mission, regardless of the trepidation felt with having Dominic on the ground team with him. In light of the current situation, he wasn’t sure he could trust the man, and a large part of any mission – COA or UEO – was trusting your fellow soldiers. Their lives were at stake and he had to be sure that any member of that group would have his back, just like they had to trust that he’d have theirs.

“Hey Luke,” Tony grinned at him as they were handed new fatigues and boots. “Think we’re going to see some of our buddies soon?” Lucas knew immediately that he was referring to seaQuest’s role in their parallel assignment.

“It’s Lucas,” he responded, mostly by habit. It was pointless to correct his friend, because Piccolo would continue to call him ‘Luke’ just to get under his skin for as long as they both were alive. “And, probably not. The way these operations are supposed to run, we will probably be in and out without seeing anyone other than ourselves and the two we’re getting out.”

The two men moved out of the way and into a make-shift changing room, where they exchanged their COA standard issue recruit uniforms for the new fatigues. Lucas was somewhat pleased that the polished black combat boots actually fit and didn’t feel as though they were new out the box. They were well worn and comfortable, much like the ones he had back on the boat. 

“I don’t know what the point of me getting’ all decked out in this uniform, when I’m just going to have to strip again to get my wet suit on later,” Tony grumbled as he laced up his own pair of boots. 

Lucas just chuckled. While what Tony had said made sense, they both knew that anything military related didn’t have to be logical. Plus, they had a long trip ahead before they were even going to be getting back in the water. To him, it felt as though they’d been land-locked forever. While on seaQuest he looked forward to any opportunity that took him above water and in the natural light, during his training he’d found himself missing the sea. Maybe he really was turning into a true submariner.

“Ready?” 

“Yeah.” Tony stood. 

They both headed off to find out which weapons they were going to be assigned before boarding the large helicopter and heading to colder climes.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

“All right team,” Sejal yelled over the sound of the helicopter’s blades, “once we touch down, grab your personal gear and head for the dock.” She pointed in the direction of the water, which Lucas could only imagine was hidden in the ink black night. From where he was positioned in the cold, hard, internal compartment of the military transport helicopter, he couldn’t even make out the ocean from land.

“What about the rest of the equipment?” Anna asked.

“The staff stationed at the base will unload and load it for us. Just get yourself onto the sub as fast as possible. Time is not on our side, people, so make every second count.”

The newly formed extractions team braced themselves for the landing, prepared to file out as soon as the wheels touched the ground. Almost as soon as the large piece of machinery came to rest, the COA team was out and running for the water. Lucas tried to ignore the sharp bite of the Alaskan air as he shouldered his large automatic pulse rifle and small kit of equipment, and followed the man in front of him. He was pretty sure it was Niko, but with his head tucked into his collar and ducked down, he couldn’t be too sure. He was focused more on staring at the ground and feet in front of him than anything else. 

The sub was waiting at the end of the dock, metal body almost fully submerged in the icy waters. The passenger hatch was open, ready to accept the new crew, while the rear supply chamber was already being loaded - a small group of individuals working hard to move the gear from the helicopter to the launch. With arms wrapped around his upper body, Lucas shuffled from one foot to the other trying to keep warm. It was well below zero out there and he could feel the hair in his nose freezing with every passing minute. Finally, it was his turn to climb up onto the launch and down the narrow rung ladder leading into the belly of the vehicle. As he dropped down the last steps, he turned into a space that was much larger than he expected. 

The sub was much more than a typical UEO launch, rather it was a miniature high-tech submarine with many of the bells and whistles you’d expect on a much larger member of the UEO’s fleet. The transport sub did not have the size or from what he could determine, dexterity of a fighter sub like those assigned to seaQuest, but it did house enough firepower to protect against a threat. There was plenty of room for the larger team and all the gear they’d carried with them. The swimmers alone had enough equipment to take up a large amount of space. 

“Strap in, team. We’ll be launching as soon as we’re loaded.” Sejal moved to the front of the launch and dropped into the seat next to their pilot, Moe.

For a moment, Lucas was torn. He could move further into the back where Piccolo and the rest of the team were taking seats, or he could sit closer to the front. This vehicle was pretty amazing and he’d like an opportunity to investigate it further. He couldn’t identify it as any particular class of submarine in the UEO Navy, which meant it had either been designed and built especially for the COA, or they’d managed to pinch it from somewhere else and had it retrofit to meet their own specifications. With reluctance, Lucas turned to the rest of the team and found a free seat next to Anna. Their voyage to the East China Sea was going to take a long time, and he was certain he had time to discuss the sub with Moe and possibly get a chance to find out more of her capabilities before they reached their destination. 

He clipped himself into the seatbelt straps and turned to his friend who was repeatedly wringing her hands in her lap. “You okay?” he whispered.

“A little nervous.” Anna replied, just as quietly. “You?”

Lucas shrugged. “A little. No more than usual.”

“Oh, right. Sometimes I forget that you’ve come straight from the Navy.” She replied. “I guess this is just par for the course for you.”

“It’s okay to be nervous, Anna. Even a bit scared. When I was first sent on an assignment as part of the Navy, I was completely freaked out. I’d seen some pretty amazing stuff as a civilian, but once you’re handed a weapon, it’s a completely different ballgame. I’m not saying I’m not nervous now, just that I’ve learned to put it aside and do what I’m ordered to do.”

“So, you’re saying, just hide the fear?” 

“Nah, more like, put it aside for the time being. You can freak out on the trip home.” He grinned and got the response he was hoping for, a smile in return.

“Suggestions on just how I’m supposed to do that when I’m shaking like a leaf?” She held her hands up for him to see, and they were visibly trembling. “Kinda hard to hide.”

“Uh, sit on them?” He paused. “I’m just kidding. Just focus on going through the information we’re supposed to commit to memory and think of this mission as just a test. Because that’s really what it is. Plus, if you really hate it, then you know that once you’ve graduated from recruit training, you can stay in the department you were brought in to do. No more field work.”

Just as Anna opened her mouth to respond, the overhead hatch clanged shut and the engine started to hum. Lucas glanced to the front of the vehicle, where Moe and Sejal were busy pressing a number of buttons and referring to their console. He felt a little useless in the back. He was so used to being partly responsible for the navigation of seaQuest’s launches, that it felt odd to just be just another passenger. 

“Guess this is it then,” she stated matter of factly.

“It’ll be fine.” Lucas looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group. Tony was hunched over his tablet, with ‘swimmer’ Jones pointing out something of interest. While Lucas could not hear what she was saying, he did see Tony nodding in understanding. Near him, Niko had one of the emergency medical kit open, examining the contents. Hopefully they were fully stocked. Just in case. While the others were focused on preparing for their tasks, Dominic was stretched out in his seat, legs splayed out in front and hands behind his head. He looked quite confident and didn’t appear to be concerned for their upcoming mission at all.

Lucas shook his head slightly. He had no idea why Roberts felt it was okay to assign Dom to this mission. Especially since they had no idea what the guy was up to. Maybe he wasn’t the mole, but he sure as hell had been up to something shady since he’d slipped out of the dorm unnoticed. Lucas hadn’t even been able to talk to Roberts before they left, and he was curious to see if they’d found out where his roommate had disappeared. It would have been a relief to hear that Dom was cleared as the COA’s traitor. Now, he just found himself having a hard time trusting the guy, and it made him angry that he had to be in a situation where his life could possibly be placed in this man’s hands.

“What’s wrong?” Anna leaned forward in her seat to see what Lucas was looking at. 

He quickly sat back in his seat. “Nothing. Just looking to see what everyone else is doing.” He nudged her slightly. “See Tony over there? Tapping his leg with his fingers?” 

She nodded.

“That’s one of his ‘tells.’ He used to get really obnoxious when he got nervous, but now he just taps his leg. Doesn’t even know he’s doing it.” Lucas smiled slyly. “Don’t let him know, but he does that when he has a really good hand in poker too.”

“Now, that’s what I call an important piece of information. Thanks Lucas.” Anna gave him a genuine smile, and Lucas was pretty sure she was starting to relax. At least, now she wasn’t going to feel as though she was the only inexperienced field agent on the team.

The launch jolted slightly, and they could feel her move in the water. Apparently it was time to get this mission started.

“Listen up team. This is going to be a long ride. You’ve got twelve hours, so use them wisely. Get some sleep if you can.” Sejal called from the co-pilot’s seat.

Twelve hours? Lucas was surprised. They had a large area to cover before they got anywhere close to the East China Sea. This small sub was very deceiving. If they were going to get that far in such a short amount of time, this vehicle must be one powerful machine unlike any he’d seen in his life. Even seaQuest, the fastest and most powerful submarine in the UEO fleet, would have to move at full power to move that distance in only twelve hours. He was going to have to get a closer look at this sub at some point. For right now, he’d have to settle with trying to get some sleep. It had been loud, cold and uncomfortable on the helicopter as they made their way from Maine to Alaska. He hadn’t had much sleep in what probably amounted to days, thanks to their final extractions simulation, and he didn’t want to go into unknown territory ready to pass out on his feet. Lucas decided to go through his material one last time before settling down into his seat for any rest he could get. It was going to be a long ride, made even longer by the growing anticipation of their mission.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

He awoke slowly, his ears picking up the foreign sounds of his new environment. He could hear the faint hum of the engines and quiet snores interspersed among deep breaths. It appeared that most of the team had taken Sejal’s suggestion and used the long voyage time to catch up on sleep. Lucas peeled his eyes open, becoming fully aware of how uncomfortable he really was. His long, lanky body felt as though it had been crammed in a small space for too long. Pulling himself back up from a slumped position, Lucas glanced at the watch on his wrist. He’d managed to sleep for five hours straight – a record these days. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to go that length without some form of interruption. Most of the time, he found himself fighting off the sleep in fear of another nightmare, but not this time. 

Lucas stretched his arms overhead, being careful not to bump Anna who was fast asleep with her feet pulled up on the chair and cheek resting on her knees. He had no idea how she could fit her body into that position on the small seat, let alone sleep like that. Regardless, he had no intention of waking her up. He quietly pried himself from his chair and cringed as his legs protested. They were stiff and ached from being in such an awkward position for so long. He looked up toward Moe, who was still wide-awake at the controls. Seeing the co-pilot seat empty, Lucas made his way slowly up there, trying to avoid bumping into sleeping bodies. He passed Sejal, who was monitoring a radio on a side console. She smiled at him and just nodded towards the front. She obviously knew what he wanted to do.

“Wolenczak.” Moe looked up at Lucas, who was standing somewhat hesitantly behind the co-pilot seat. “I was wondering when you’d make your way up here. Grab a headset.”

Picking the discarded headset off the side hook, Lucas placed it over his own head. “What made you think I was going to come up?”

“Are you kidding? It was a toss up to see if it was going to be you or Piccolo. My money was on you.”

“Really?” Lucas grinned. “Why not Tony?”

“Let’s face it, Wolenczak. Of the two submariners we’ve got on board, you’ve been on a sub longer and you’ve had more experience piloting them. Plus, with your background, you’re probably itching to find out where we got this bad puppy. Am I wrong?”

“No.” Lucas chuckled. “I’m dying to find out how it works. Twelve hours to get to the China Seas? That’s insane. I didn’t think anything this size could move that far for such an extended period of time.” He paused debating whether or not he should ask the question he really wanted the answer to.

“No, I can’t tell you where it came from.” Moe winked, “but I can tell you that we had most of it custom designed and built to our specifications.”

“Is it just this one?” Lucas was peering more closely at the pilot’s console, in awe at what he was seeing. This small vehicle was capable of so much more than it appeared from the outside.

“Nope. We got three.” Moe grinned at Lucas’ expression. “Cost a pretty penny too, but so worth it.”

“I’ll bet. Back in the day, seaQuest would have loved something like this on board. I’d have made room for it by kicking out one of the transport launches. Now, we really just need a few more fighter-subs.”

“You know, you’re going to have to stop talking like that.” Moe was now leaning back in his seat, scrutinizing the young recruit.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re going back.” He leaned closer to Lucas. “Don’t give me that look, Wolenczak. Pretty soon, you’re going to officially be one of us. No more worrying about what seaQuest needs, wants or is doing. We’re your family, so get used to it.” Moe grinned and slapped Lucas lightly on the back. “So, want to find out what she can do?” The pilot wiggled his eyebrows, and despite the heavy feeling in Lucas’ heart, he couldn’t help but give an enthusiastic nod.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

He glanced quickly in both directions before closing the door. No one. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. With barely a moment spared to remove his everyday jacket and toss his leather bag on the dining room table, he reached for a long, dark overcoat. His black knit cap was still in one of the pockets. He pulled this on too, making sure to conceal his hair and as much of his face as possible. Patting the other pocket, he verified his gloves were still there. 

A sudden noise. He stopped. Standing still, he waited -- just the neighbor’s cat. He sighed. This was getting to be too much. He was getting paranoid, but for good reason. He’d been sloppy. Too many missions had gone wrong. They’d be fools not to suspect someone on the inside. What he did know was the COA was not comprised of fools. What he didn’t know was if they suspected him yet. He didn’t think so. He’d been careful, covering his tracks and not making frequent contact. This was the last time, he promised himself. One more drop, then he was out -- for good.

He moved through the small townhouse, turning on lights, the TV, making it look as though he was settling in for the night. These days it was rare to make it home for a few hours. He needed it to appear as though he was making the most of it. He stopped in the master bedroom and pulled open the closet. Pushing the hanging garments aside, he slipped in, closing the door behind him. It didn’t take long for his fingers to locate the pull cord. With a quick tug, the ceiling ladder slid down noiselessly. He gripped the metal rungs and quickly pulled himself up into the darkness. He knew this route well, and didn’t dare reach for the flashlight kept at the top. He crawled along the small space, feeling the wood boards under his hands, his knees. When he could go no further, he raised his hands to examine the wall directly in front of him. There. It didn’t take long to pull the loose panel. With a short grunt, he maneuvered his legs and body through the small space, replacing the panel once he’d made it through. From here, he could make it across his neighbor’s crawl space and out their fire escape. 

He smiled to himself. No one would ever guess that there was a way to slip out of his home unseen. It was just by luck his neighbor, with the end unit, had kept their old fire escape ladder. All he had to do was climb through the attic window and make his way down the metal rungs. As he dropped the last two feet to the ground, he stopped to listen. He never liked the quiet thud his feet made on the concrete. It was more noise than he felt comfortable with, but there wasn’t any choice in the matter. The alley was dark. Pressing his body close to the building, he moved towards to the back streets. He knew he’d be a bit more exposed out there, but he was confident that he could stay cloaked in shadows. He’d managed to disconnect the power to a number of the street lamps a number of months back, and the power company had yet to be notified or respond. 

He made his way through to the center of town, taking back routes and alleys as much as possible. He found himself stopping often to listen, and doubling back on his own tracks. Anything he could do to ensure he wasn’t being followed. When he was certain he was in the clear, he slipped in the back door of the church. It wasn’t hard to climb the old stairs to the bell tower without being seen. The rectory was dark and the priest retired for the evening. He pulled a micro-flashlight from one of his pockets and moved to position. He flashed the light quickly, the code predetermined, and waited. There. The response was immediate: one long flash, three short, and another long. Good. The exchange was set -- same place and time as the last. Now, all he had to do was make it back home without rousing suspicion.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

The lights in the high-tech operations submersible had been dimmed to almost non-existent and the engine noise was barely audible. They’d slipped into difficult to navigate waters a couple of hours ago, and Moe was fully focused on getting them to their destination without setting off any alerts. From what Lucas could gather, they were attempting to stay in UEO or neutral water for as long as possible. Their pilot was going to get them as close as he could to the coast off of Yonaguni, where they would wait until the time was right. At which point, they’d drop low to the seabed before slipping into the Island’s coastal zone. There, the two swimmers would be deployed for the first phase of the mission.

Sometime during the course of their long voyage under the Pacific Ocean, they’d received an encrypted message from HQ: the coordinates of Agent Tanaka and President Itou and detailed information of where they could be found within the escape passage under the Presidential Compound grounds. While they had not been privy to the details of the message, Sejal had assured them that they had enough information to make a clean and strategic extraction – as long as they did not alert the Army General’s men on the way in.

The atmosphere on the sub was taut with tension and anticipation. Not one of the extraction team spoke, rather they focused on pulling themselves together and preparing themselves for the mission at hand. 

“Alright folks,” Moe’s voice piped up from the front. He barely had to speak louder than a hushed tone as the environment was so quiet. “We’re mere meters from the coastal zone.”

Sejal moved to a position in front of the team. “Swimmers, get ready. We’re going in on my mark.”

Lucas adjusted his pulse rifle, slung across his shoulders for easy mobility, and double-checked to make sure his hand weapon was in place. They were going in light, with the exception of weapons and explosives, as this was intended to be an in and out mission. He watched as Tony and Sheila pulled their wetsuits up over their shoulders and adjusted the gear strapped to their backs. The swimmers were primarily being deployed for surveillance and didn’t have much to carry with them. Based on the maps of the region they’d each been given, the escape pod for the below ground passage was located deep beneath within the water and embedded in the wall of a large sea cliff. This same cliff extended well above the surface of the water, and if the team was going to get to dry land, their best bet was to scale the vertical wall. Tony and Sheila were each carrying a grappling hook gun, loaded with enough length of rope to get the hook to the top of the cliff. After which, the two were to be the first on land to scope out the situation, before giving the all clear to the ground team.

“Ready,” Sheila stated stepping up to the ladder leading to the hatch.

Sejal turned to Moe, “move us into position. Eyes and ears are on.” This was in reference to the radar and acoustic equipment that the sub carried, which was set to monitor as much as it could from within the vehicle.

They felt the sub slowly rising in the water, on course to break the surface within seconds. The deployment of the two swimmers had to be fast, with the sub dropping back down into the depths to lay low until the alert was given to move the ground team into place. Sheila was first up the ladder, with Tony following close behind. Neither one said a word as they waited for the vehicle to clear.

“You’re a go.” Moe simply stated from the pilot’s seat.  
“Keep your mics on, swimmers. See you in a few.” Sejal nodded as Sheila reached for the hatch, turning and releasing it in a matter of seconds. 

Lucas watched as his friend climbed out the top of the sub, before disappearing into the darkness of the early morning. The hatch immediately clanged shut, and a double pound on the door resounded in the cabin.

“That’s it. Bring us back down, Moe.” Sejal turned to face the rest of the team. “I want everyone ready to go in ten. The swimmers won’t reach the target point in less than fifteen, but we’ll all need to be on stand-by in case we have to change plans.” As she was already prepared to launch the second phase of their mission, Sejal turned to the console directly behind the pilot’s seat and placed a headset over her ears.

Adjusting his belt one last time, Lucas looked at the rest of the crew. They were all pretty much in the same state as he was – ready and anxious to get moving. There was no way they could see what the swimmers were up to in the surrounding waters. They had to wait for the call from their team lead before they could start their own ascent up the metal rungs. However, each of them was showing their anticipation and anxiety in a different way. While Anna was nervously biting at the skin around her fingers, Dom was shifting back and forth between his feet - his stare never left the top of the ladder; his eyes only on the hatch. 

Time felt as though it dragged on. He could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Despite the coolness of the submersible’s cabin, the combat uniform paired with combat gear was heavy enough to be felt. It didn’t help that Lucas was not a patient person. He wanted to get out there, get the job done, and return as fast as possible. He didn’t have to wait much longer.

“Okay, guys. Swimmers have made landfall. No sign of unfriendlies. We have the all clear to head up and out. Lyle, you take the lead. Andre, you and Dominic go next. Then I want Anna and Lucas. I’ll take the rear.” She then turned to address their medic. “Niko, you’re going to stay onboard with Moe, but keep your gear on and be ready to move at a moment’s notice. We don’t know what we’re facing out there, but you need to be ready to treat anyone anywhere. Got it?”

“Yes Ma’am.” Niko was apparently ready for this order. He had his full combat gear on and two medical kits at his side. One he placed close to the submersible’s exit, the other he opened in the largest area within the cabin. 

Lucas gave him a quick grin before falling in line behind Anna. The other man responded with a thumbs-up. Hopefully, they would not need his expertise on this run.

“Move out.” Sejal’s command came from behind him, and the hatch immediately opened for the second time that day. The move up the ladder was fast and quiet. As Lucas reached the top, he saw that Moe had positioned the sub incredibly close to the face of the cliff. The man’s piloting skills were impressive. The swimmers had managed to place two rope lines in place, and each member of the team was stepping off the sub and directly onto one of the two lines. As he waited for the climber in front of him to reach clearance distance, Lucas noted how much more confident Anna looked. Her fear from earlier was replaced with determination and an air of coolness. If she hadn’t overcome her worries for her first real experience in the field, she was doing an impressive job concealing them.

Finally, it was his turn. He reached for the rope with gloved hands, testing his grip before taking his feet off the metallic surface of the sub and placing them on the rocky face of the cliff. He started the slow ascent, trusting his arms and legs to successfully pull him up to land without falling back into the rough cold sea below. Lucas fought the urge to look down. There was no time to contemplate how far he’d gone, or how easy it would be to fall. He had to focus on getting up the last few feet and hoisting his body onto land.

As he reached the outcropping above, a hand dropped down to grip his. Lyle. Lucas took it and allowed the more experienced extractions team member to help haul him over the edge. He nodded in appreciation, aware that talking out in the open was no longer an option, and received a nod in return. Next to him, Sejal was gracefully pulling her own body up. She looked as though she’d been born to do this and was up on her feet in seconds. She gestured quickly into the dark, and it was at that moment that Lucas noticed both Tony and Shiela waiting for their arrival. The two swimmers took their cue and moved back towards the ropes, ready to head back into the water to start their surveillance from below the surface.

There was no time to see if the swimmers made it safely down the rope, or to watch them drop down into the water. With the flick of her wrist, Sejal had the ground team move out towards the small observation center they’d identified in the briefing. Lyle immediately took the lead, with the team following the same order. Lucas pulled his rifle from around his shoulders, eyes and ears already on the alert. It hadn’t taken long to adjust to the darkness, and right now, the only things he could see moving, were the tree branches. So far, there was no sign of anyone but themselves. They kept to the tree line, which was sparse in this coastal environment. At least they had some cover. The worst place to be was where you were completely out in the open. 

Suddenly from out in the darkness, they heard a weak cough. Sejal immediately gave the hand signal to freeze, but in reality they didn’t need it. Each member of the team stopped, dropping lower to the ground, and waited to hear anything more. Lucas squinted in the hopes of seeing something other than the blurry outline of trees and buildings, and for a fraction of a second, was greeted by nothing but more of the same. Then, movement from within his peripheral vision caught his eye. Lucas held his breath as a fully armed man in uniform strode across the open grass. The guard did not appear to notice them hidden in the shadows, but he was heading in the direction that the extractions team needed to go – the small building closest to the edge of the cliff.

Lucas glanced to his right, watching to see Sejal’s reaction. There was none. The team lead held her ground and waited, giving no indication that they should move forward or fall back. The last thing they wanted was to reveal their presence. In a worst-case scenario, they could overpower the guard in the target building, rendering him unconscious until they could get their agent and the president out. Of course, this was not a desirable outcome for the COA. The agency prided itself on keeping completely under the radar. They’d much rather get the president out without alerting the Army General and his men, leaving them completely bewildered and frustrated.

Lyle had his night vision scope out and was scanning their target location. He nodded to Sejal and handed the small piece of equipment over for her to use. The team lead seemed to like what she saw and indicated to the group to move out. They kept low to the ground, moving stealthily across the surface. They reached the end of their meager cover, directly across from the building they intended to enter. One by one, the COA extraction team moved in closer, each member covering their teammates and waiting for signals to move on. The process of moving such a short distance was painfully slow, but having past experience in risky missions, Lucas understood the reason for their caution. 

When it was his turn to run across the expanse of open area, Lucas felt his heart pounding and the blood rushing through his ears. He gripped his weapon in his hands and waited for the signal from Lyle, who now had point. As it came, he nodded and immediately focused on his next position – placing one foot in front of the other until he found his back pressed safely against the cold, hard, stone exterior of the building. Noting that Anna had moved forward, Lucas carefully slipped along the wall to assume her abandoned position. He in turn indicated to Lyle that the next person – Sejal – could move up. With weapon at the ready, Lucas waited for any warnings – anything at all – that could mean their mission had been compromised. Nothing came. Where the guard had disappeared to, he didn’t know, but for right now they were in the clear.

Slowly, they made their way to the entrance of the building, which Lucas could now identify as an old maritime observation point, with each extraction team member being covered by the others until they all made it inside. As expected the small building had been locked, but the antiquated padlock and chains had been easy to break. There was nothing there of perceived value, and the run-down structure was no more than an abandoned shack. Lucas wasn’t even sure why they’d even left it standing, but for this purpose, he was glad it remained in place. They filed in, quickly assessing the situation and rendering the structure clear.

At that point, Sejal switched from hand signals, to speaking in a low whisper. 

“Dom, you take the main door. Lucas, stand guard at the south point.” She nodded towards the one window facing the ocean, and he immediately assumed a watch position, eyes trained on anything that could possibly be a threat. 

“Anna, stay with Lyle and Andre. If anything happens and we can’t all make it down the passage after it’s cleared, you’re going to go with them.”

Lucas kept look out at the window, but he could see the rest of the team out of the corner of his eye. Sejal had pulled another gadget from one of her thigh pockets and was using it to scan the ground surface. It wasn’t long before she stopped, placed the scanner back in her pocket and knelt on the dusty floor. “Here.” 

Lyle and Andre were immediately on the ground next to her, pulling several small packets from their own gear. With limited explosives experience, Lucas couldn’t be too sure of the specifics of their plan. He knew they were going to blow a hole in the ground, clearing a shortcut into the secret passage beneath the ground. He just didn’t know how far down the passage was, or how much of the volatile material was going to be needed to complete the job. Hell, they didn’t even know if the shortcut to the passage had been filled in completely over time. 

The debris and extraneous material was pushed from their target, and Andre started removing wood floorboards. It was slow and painful work, and as the minutes passed, they felt more like sitting ducks. Finally, the two explosives experts cleared the area they needed and exposed a square concrete slab. The men exchanged a fleeting grin, visibly relieved. Even Lucas knew that if their luck held, then there would be little else beneath that slab to hinder their progress. 

From this point, things seemed to move faster. The explosives were set along the edge of the concrete block, and one in the center. Lyle pulled a large cover from his pack and spread it over the area. This state-of-the-art new technology in explosive barriers would help contain the debris from the blast, as well as keep the noise to a minimum. The advancements in military technology over the past ten years had been impressive, and Deon Industries had produced most of the new technology. It was somewhat intriguing that the COA had managed to get their hands on this particular item, especially since it had been designed and produced specifically for Macronesia. If they had this, Lucas could only imagine what else lay hidden behind closed doors. Lyle and Andre worked in unison as they lay the final charges and secured the barrier to the ground. With the final piece in place, they backed away from the area, getting as far as they could from the concealed entrance. 

“Dominic, take the exterior and stand guard. We need to move fast if the sound penetrates the barrier. Everyone else, take cover.”

Lucas ducked behind a large piece of wood, propped up against the wall. If the blast went awry, he doubted it would provide much cover, but he had a lot of faith in the expertise of his team. He was behind cover for a fraction of a second, before he felt a rumble beneath his feet and felt a quick burst of air. Besides a sharp crack, there was virtually no sound at all from the blast. Almost immediately, a cloud of dust darkened the open room slightly, taking time to settle back into place.

“Clear,” came Lyle’s curt call from the blast site, and Lucas quickly moved back into position next to the window. Before he could allow himself a moment to check out the damage, he had to ensure that their actions had not raised any suspicions from outside the building. A quick scan in the darkness beyond, indicated that there was no movement. Lucas looked towards the entrance, to see Dom move back into his former position. He too was scanning their surroundings with intense scrutiny.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lucas could see the others clearing the barrier and exposing a messy hole in the ground. The blast had destroyed most of the concrete, leaving nothing but jagged edges around the exposed area. Sejal had her weapon out, trained on the space beneath them. She nodded at Lyle, who maneuvered his body to slip into the newly exposed tunnel. They watched as his head disappeared below the surface and waited. Within a minute, he popped his head back up, grin on his face. 

“It’s good. Clear path both directions and oxygen levels are acceptable.”

“All right. Let’s get moving. Night vision on. There will be no artificial light source without my say so.” 

The team started their decent underground with Lyle again taking the lead and followed closely by Andre and Anna. Lucas and Dominic were the last to approach the narrow entrance, standing guard for as long as possible. 

“Grab that piece of ply wood,” Sejal ordered, gesturing at the same material Lucas had used as his cover for the blast. 

Knowing instinctively what she intended to do with it, Lucas dragged the wood to the edge of the hole. Dominic slipped in first and Sejal nodded to Lucas, indicating that he was next. He slung his weapon across his back, careful not to let it block his access to the passage. As he lowered his legs into the dark space, he blindly felt for anything he could grip or place weight on. From below, Dominic must have seen his attempts, and grabbed his right foot. Lucas felt as his foot was pushed against a surface. Rungs. Of course. The individuals who had designed this particular escape route, had outfitted this particularly steep section with a metal ladder to allow anyone to climb either up or down. Without any idea as to how far down the ladder reached, Lucas found himself tentatively testing each rung before placing his entire weight on it.

For what felt like ages, the only sounds he could hear were the quiet thuds as boots touched the metal rungs and the labored breaths of each of the team members. Finally, the echo of two feet hitting ground echoed in the dark chamber. Dom must have dropped the last distance to reach the hidden passage. Lucas felt his way to the last rung, and waited for a mere second to be sure the other man had cleared the space before he let himself drop. He hadn’t been expecting more than a few feet, and was somewhat surprised at the distance he fell before finding his balance. He quickly moved out of the way, allowing Sejal space to drop from the ladder.

The passage they’d arrived was small and dank, barely large enough for a person Lucas’ size to stand upright. He hunched slightly, cautious not to bump his head on the low-lying ceiling. It was cold and wet, and in the distance, he could hear the echo of a slow drip. With only the night vision gear to assist in the darkness, there wasn’t much to see in regards to the details. Lucas pulled a life-form scanner from his side pocket and held it out in front. He breathed sigh of relief. There was no indication that anyone other than their small group was within a short range. For now, they were clear to move on.

With a quick hand signal, the team assumed immediate combat positions and began to move in one direction. Lucas found himself at the tail end of the group, moving cautiously with his weapon held at the ready. Based on their intel from HQ regarding the whereabouts of Agent Tanaka and President Itou, they had the majority of the path to travel before getting close. Their two targets were waiting for the extractions team mere meters from the escape pod. While an escape via the pod would have been the simplest means of getting off the island without alerting the General’s men, there was no way of notifying agent Tanaka that the transport sub was waiting. The chance of the pod being spotted in the water was not one they wanted to take.

Lucas stopped in his tracks. He thought he’d heard something coming from the opposite direction in which they were traveling. Several feet ahead, completely aware that Lucas had paused, Dom mirrored his actions. He nodded to Lucas, raising his pulse rifle ready to fire if necessary. This cover allowed Lucas to pull the life-form sensor back out of his pocket to scan the passage again. The thick stone and sediment walls rendered the piece of equipment useless beyond a certain point, but for now it told them they were alone. They both remained completely still, training their ears on anything out of the norm. Nothing. With some level of unease, both Lucas and Dom moved on.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The passage was not a straight line from beneath the abandoned building to the edge of the cliff. Rather, it wound back and forth beneath the ground, making the distance much longer. Added to that was the number of blind curves left for the extractions team to navigate. The group moved swiftly and cautiously, especially in those areas where they could not immediately determine what lay ahead. They did so without speaking a word, relying heavily on the hand gestures and non-verbal cues.

Even though he was shivering in the cold tunnel, Lucas could feel the sweat slipping down his back. He couldn’t wait to get to the position where Agent Tanaka and President Itou were waiting. From what he gathered, it wouldn’t be much longer. One by one, the team cleared one final bend, exposing two individuals pressed up against a stone barrier. The woman, presumably Agent Tanaka, had her own weapon drawn, and was physically shielding an older, unarmed man.

Lyle was the first to lower his firearm. The rest of the extractions team remained at the ready, with their weapons trained on either the two new faces, or out towards the darkness they’d just come through.

“Jen,” was all Lyle said; the smile on his face spoke a thousand words.

“Lyle Toms. Guess you drew the short straw in coming to save my ass.” Her grin replacing the previous look of determination and focus previously evident in spades.

“Hardly. The current recruit class,” Lyle cocked his head back at the rest of the team, “thanks you. This is their final proficiency.” 

Despite the fact that they were speaking in barely elevated whispers, Jen Tanaka’s chuckle echoed beyond their immediate location. The man, who until this point had remained hidden in the shadows, stepped out from behind Agent Tanaka, and offered a short bow. 

“My sincerest thanks to you. I must get out as soon as possible and alert my allies in the neighboring island nations of the current political status.” He turned and indicated to the pile of rocks and stones currently barring their movement in the direction of the ocean. “We are, however, in a bit of a tight spot.”

“This is as far as we were able to move. There must have been a cave-in at some point, and without any kind of explosives or manpower, we couldn’t move them to get to the escape pod. Hence the call for an extraction,” Jen continued.

“No problem. That just happens to be my specialty.” Lyle grinned. He stepped closer to inspect the status of the barrier and Andre quickly moved in to assist.

Lucas stood on guard, watching the two explosives experts out of the corner of his eye, as he kept his weapon trained on the direction they’d just come. They could not move on towards the escape pod until those rocks were moved, and they had a long way to go if they needed to retrace their steps. This was not a safe position to be in and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. 

Lucas had his life-form scanner in hand, and kept taking quick glances. However, he did not need to. Even over the light thuds and cracks of stones being pulled down and dropped to the ground, the echoes of heavy boots against the hard flooring reached their ears. 

Lucas didn’t think; he just reacted. Within seconds, he was crouched down on the ground, rifle trained on the darkness ahead. Anna had taken a position nearby, and Dom had a clear shot as well. Behind them, the rest of the team worked faster to get the charges set. 

Sejal spoke up, her voice a hushed whisper. “This is going to get ugly. Fast. If they don’t know we’re here yet, they will as soon as the rock blows. We’re going to have to do this fast. Once the rocks are cleared, the targets will be removed and we’ll take turns going through. Cover each other and get your ass to the escape pod on the double. The tunnel probably won’t hold for long after the blast.” She gave a quick assessment of the group, and then turned to Lyle. “Do it.”

“Take cover,” was Lyle’s only response and the group immediately sought any place to protect themselves from the ensuing explosion. 

Lucas pressed his body against an outcropping and curled into his body to make it as small as possible. He pulled his arms up in an attempt to protect his head. Despite the advanced knowledge of the blast, it didn’t quite prepare him for the magnitude of the sound and the jarring force that pressed him closer into the wall. Small pieces of rock and dust rained down, and he found himself trying to stifle a cough. The material was sticking to all exposed parts of his body, and he could not keep it from going into his nose and mouth. As the ringing in his hears started to abate, it became evident that the foot falls heard earlier, were getting louder and were approaching much faster. Lucas pulled himself to standing, finding his balance momentarily slightly off, and moved back into position. He fought the urge to clear the dust from his face, his hands cradling the military weapon instead, and waited for the inevitable.

The team was no longer concerned with keeping quiet. As soon as the debris had cleared, every available hand was employed to pull the loosened rocks from their place. Unfortunately, they weren’t clearing a navigable space fast enough. As the hole grew larger, the sound of commands being ordered reverberated down the dark passage. It wasn’t long before the first body came into sight, followed immediately by the burst of light and a spray of rock as the shot hit the rocky wall above Lucas’ head. Instinctively, he ducked lower and aimed his own weapon. While set to stun, the pulse rifle could still render the enemy incapacitated for hours, a fate Lucas by far preferred to the other, more lethal, option.

This was not the last shot fired at his head. With a fraction of a second to react, the encroaching men started firing in fast succession. Lucas and Anna pulled back to a position providing a bit more cover, as they fought to hold the enemy at bay. There wasn’t time to think about what the team behind them was doing, or how their position had been betrayed. Rather, Lucas focused all his effort on keeping those forces at their current distance, while preventing himself and his teammates from being hit. Lucas couldn’t be sure, but he highly suspected that the weapons their opponents were firing, were not set to stun.

The small chamber was filled with debris, the air completely grey with smoke and dust. The attack from the passage came hard and fast. Lucas wasn’t sure how many people they had firing weapons at the extractions team, but he thought he’d counted at least six different individuals – a large number for such a tight space. As errant shots hit the surrounding walls, floor, ceiling, he could see sizeable chunks of rock and stone ripped out and dropping to the ground. Just has he raised his rifle to aim at the oncoming blasts, Lucas felt the force of a shot miss him by mere inches. He flinched, squeezing his eyes shut as a large piece of rock smacked him hard on the forehead. Ugh. He didn’t have the option to check his head wound. Instead, he ignored the wetness dripping down the side of his face and the spreading pain, and focused on returning fire.

“You okay, Lucas?” Anna called out over the racket coming from all directions.

“Yeah,” he coughed out. From what he could tell it was just a minor flesh wound, but head injuries, regardless how negligible, bled like crazy.

In the background, he could hear the rest of the team scrambling to get their escape cleared, the sound of rubble being shoved aside faster. Hurry up, Lucas screamed in his head. It was taking too long and he didn’t know how much longer they were going to be able to hold their attackers at bay. The noise from within the chamber lessened to a point where Lucas wasn’t sure if they others had made it through. Finally, above the sounds increasingly closer gunfire, Lucas heard the words he’d been waiting for.

“Fall back!” Sejal ordered from behind.

Lucas waited for Dom and Anna to retreat into the tunnel’s chamber, before pulling back himself. Not one of them turned their back on the approaching armed men, firing repeatedly to keep the enemy from moving in closer. 

“The others are through the gap,” Sejal yelled over the noise. “The escape pod is down further past the barrier, but the water tight connection is damaged. There’s no way to get the pod off without flooding the tunnel. Everyone has to get in there right now. We don’t know how much longer the structure of the passage is going to hold.”

Suddenly, a shot from ahead broke through into their semi-protected space, and Lucas heard the team leader gasp. He turned his head in time to watch Sejal fall to the ground, unconscious.

“Anna, cover us!” Lucas yelled, rushing towards the wounded COA agent. Checking her over quickly, he was relieved to see that the actual pulse weapon injury was relatively minor, but it looked as though the force of the shot had knocked her against the wall. She was out cold. 

“Dom, help me get her through the opening.” Not wanting to waste any time, Lucas gripped the injured woman under her arms, ready to move her closer to the only escape route. Dom immediately sensed what Lucas was trying to do and scrambled to hoist his own body up and through the small gap nestled close to the chamber ceiling. As soon as he’d cleared the space, Dominic turned to reach for Sejal. It took a bit of effort on both their parts to get her up the wall of rock and to the narrow opening, but they got her safely through the space.

“Can you get her to the pod?” Lucas called, his rifle already back in his hands.

“No problem, I’ll be –“ Dom’s voice disappeared as he moved further away.

“I can’t hold them anymore, Lucas!” Anna yelled, her weapon firing a steady stream of blasts.

“I’ll cover you. Pull back and go straight for the hole,” he yelled, moving in closer to take her place. Stepping up, Lucas moved to let Anna slip behind him. 

Before she could even move one pace, a burst from the darkness knocked her flat. Unable to immediately check on Anna, Lucas let loose with his own barrage of fire. Suddenly, out of the darkness, a small canister came flying through the air. Shit, shit, shit! It was as if time slowed. Ignoring his weapon for a brief moment, Lucas was able to kick the small grenade back into the tunnel and dove for Anna, desperately hoping his body would provide some amount of shield in the explosion. He’d barely managed to get to her before the entire underground chamber rocked with the force of the blast. Lucas could feel both large and small pieces of rock falling on and around him, but more alarming was the continued rumbling echoing in the small space. The rumbling continued to grow, and suddenly, more terrifying than the sight of the grenade, was the resounding CRACK above their heads.

Lucas didn’t bother to look up. That sound could only mean one thing. The tunnel’s structural integrity had been compromised and it was about to fall in on them. Lucas struggled to pull himself to standing and immediately grabbed Anna. He had to pull her further into the space -- as close to the escape hole as he could get. If he were lucky, Dom or one of the other members of the team would be on the other side, able to assist him in getting Anna out safely before the whole chamber collapsed. 

As he pulled Anna close to the wall, she did not stir. Luca had lost his night vision in the grenade blast and he couldn’t tell how badly she was hurt. All he could do right now was protect her with his own body from the inevitable cave-in, and assess her injuries after the rubble settled. He grimaced as rock after rock pelted down on them, his back taking the brunt of the force. The small underground chamber shook and rattled, and the roar of tumbling rocks was deafening. Lucas just held Anna tighter and attempted to protect his own head. The last thing they both needed was for him to be knocked unconscious. As quickly as the cave-in built up, the cracking and rumbling came to an end. 

Lucas opened his eyes, only to see nothing. If he’d thought their travel through the underground passage was dark before, it now seemed downright frightening. Lucas fumbled in his pocket to see if he still had his small flashlight. Yes. He flicked it on, getting a quick look around before turning his attention to his fallen friend. Reaching for her neck, Lucas felt for a pulse. While it was weak, at least it was there. Lucas was not a trained medic, but he’d spent enough time with Dr. Westphalen during their first tour, to know a thing or two about first aid. He gave Anna the best once-over he could, with absolutely no medical supplies. As he passed his hands over her abdomen, he stopped. Her uniform was completely soaked in what only could have been blood. He gently pulled the material aside and gasped. This was not good. She’d been hit by a direct shot, and the wound was not pretty. He needed to get pressure on it immediately. Lucas stripped his top shirt off, and then pulled off the much less grimy undershirt. Folding it into a thick pad, he pressed it firmly against her stomach, not pulling back when he felt her stir beneath his hands. 

“Hey. Hey Anna,” He called softly, trying to get her to respond. Nothing. Lucas bit his lip, considering what he should do next. 

Transferring all the pressure to one hand, he gripped the flashlight with the other and shone it around the small space. While the chamber itself had remained relatively intact, there was now no way to move in either direction. The opening leading to the full passage under the grounds of the Presidential Compound appeared to be completely closed off, while the small escape route the extractions team had cleared, was now blocked with rocks. This was bad. Very, very bad. He had no idea if the rest of the team had been caught in the cave-in, or if they’d managed to get the escape pod clear. What he did know was that they were stuck, in a small space, with probably very little oxygen, and Anna was in desperate need of medical attention.

A quiet scraping coming from the rocks blocking their path caught his attention. Lucas hesitated. He wanted to see if perhaps the stones were capable of being pried apart, but didn’t want to release the pressure on Anna’s wound. 

“Hello?” He called, hoping that his team members were still alive.

“Lucas?” A muffled response came through from the other side.

He was so relieved that he couldn’t contain a short laugh, “Dom is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Listen, we have less than five minutes to break you free. We still have the pod, but we need to get President Itou out of here before the military sends more men from this end. “Can you climb up and help me break you free?”

“I can try, but Anna’s hurt. There’s no way she’s going anywhere without help. Can you get some of the others to help?”

There was no response from the other side, which caused Lucas to worry.

“Dom?” Lucas called out again. This time he heard some movement.

“Uh. There just isn’t time Lucas. We need to get the President out now, and if we waste time trying to break down this barrier again, well, we might all get caught in here by the unfriendlies. We’ve just got to go. I’m sorry.”

“No. No!” Lucas yelled, still not letting the pressure off of Anna’s wound. “You are not leaving us behind. Get the others and you can all dig us out.” He glanced back at the unconscious woman before continuing. “If you don’t Anna is going to die and her blood will be on your hands. Get them now, Dom!”

“I just can’t Lucas. I’m sorry. Once we get the target out, we’ll come back for you guys, I promise.” 

“No!” Lucas screamed out. If they left, the pod would blow a giant hole in the only barrier holding the ocean back from the underground tunnel, causing massive flooding. There was no way he and Anna would survive trapped in that small space. They’d drown before rescue could arrive.

“Dom! Dom!” 

There was no response. Lucas had a difficult decision to make. He could sit there, keeping pressure on Anna’s gaping wound, or he could get up and attempt to pull as many rocks out as he could before running to stop the team from leaving. The best-case scenario had him reach the team before they deployed the escape pod, and convincing them to help him get Anna onto the craft. With time working against him, the likelihood of making it on time was very small. In that case, any opening he created in the barrier would allow the water to rush in faster, causing them to drown within minutes. If he left the stones in place, he at least had a chance to slow the water down in the hopes that they’d have some space left to breathe until the rescue team arrived. 

Lucas was not a pessimist, but he was going to be realistic about the situation. No matter what happened, things had pretty much gone from bad to disastrous within seconds. The chances of reaching the escape pod were minimal, and the best option out of a list of bad ones, was to stay put and hope the barrier held. If it did, the biggest worry would be to keep Anna alive until support could get there. He turned his attention back to his friend. He was not going to let her die on his watch. When they got out of there, he was going to rip Dom a new one for abandoning them. He was pretty sure that Anna would be willing to give him a piece of her mind as well.

All he could do right now was sit tight and wait to see what the deployment of the escape pod would do. Would it cause a wave of water to completely destroy their barrier, or would they be given a reprieve? Lucas moved in closer to Anna, holding her close in case she was ripped away from him with force. He didn’t have to wait long. A thunderous BOOM rocked the enclosure, causing the rocks of the barricade to rattle and shift. Within seconds, the loud echo of the deployed pod was over–powered by the roar of rushing water. Lucas pulled Anna closer, and squeezed his eyes shut – waiting for the worst.

The rush of cold water never hit them. In fact, it didn’t reach them at all. Lucas opened his eyes; surprised the wall of rocks dividing the two areas of the tunnel had held so well. He knew the deluge had come close, but he wasn’t sure how close. While he could not hear it pushing against the barrier, there was a slight trickle of water seeping from between individual stones. Lucas wasn’t sure for how long, but for now they were safe. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the overwhelming sense of relief, but knew they weren’t out of the woods yet. If they were going to be stuck in that small space for while, he was going to need supplies. Lucas used his free hand to dig through his large cargo pockets and the small pack he’d carried on his back. His small inventory included his flashlight, which was already in use, a small canister of water, a pack of electrolytes, two MRE’s, his pulse rifle and handgun – both of which were useless to him right now – and a heat retention foil blanket. Everything else was negligible. But, at least Anna had the same supplies on her. Lucas would save her flashlight for when his stopped working, but at least he could keep her warm for the time being. He pulled the tiny rectangle until it took the appearance of a full sized blanket, and immediately covered Anna. For its size, this article was incredibly efficient at trapping in body heat and warming a person who was suffering from shock. 

He pulled the makeshift bandage from Anna’s abdomen to check to see if the bleeding had slowed. He grimaced when he saw how bad the wound looked, and carefully put the blood-soaked shirt back in place. Anna groaned.

“Hey, Anna. Anna. Can you open your eyes?” He gently coaxed, trying to get some sort of response from the injured recruit. Her hair had been pulled loose from its ponytail and he lightly pushed it out of her face. While she didn’t open her eyes right away, she did turn her head slightly towards him.

“That’s it. Just open your eyes for me, okay?” He continued to stroke her forehead lightly, hoping that his touch would help bring her around. She groaned again and he could see her eyelids flutter as she fought to do what he asked.

“Come on. You’re almost there.” 

Finally, Anna’s eyes opened briefly before she closed them again. This time, her fleeting response to Lucas’ voice was accompanied with a sharp gasp of pain. 

“Wha – “ she had a hard time getting the word out, and stopped to lick her dry lips. 

“Don’t try and speak just yet.” Lucas placed his arm beneath her head and lifted a water bottle to her mouth. “Here, just take a little sip.”

Without opening her eyes again, Anna complied and drank from the container. She didn’t drink much, and Lucas didn’t want to push her too hard. He lowered her head back down to the ground. Anna squeezed her eyes tightly closed again, and then took a short breath before trying to speak again.

“What happened?” her voice was barely an audible whisper. “Where’re the others?”

Lucas cleared his throat before responding. He wasn’t sure how much information to divulge – he didn’t want her panicked in her current physical state – but she was smart and once she gained her bearings, would figure it out anyway. He decided to just lay it out as simply as possible, and not dwell on the fact that he wasn’t sure when the others would come back for them. Based on the military code regarding ‘lost’ soldiers, they would strive to never leave one of them behind, and would find a way to retrieve them, no matter how long it took or how difficult the task. This was what Lucas was going to hang onto and he hoped that Anna would do the same.

“You were hit –“ He was interrupted by a half laugh, half cry from Anna.

“I…I remember that part, Lucas.”

“Okay, well after you were hit, they tossed a grenade at us. It managed to close us in from the direction we came, but also blocked us in the center chamber. The others couldn’t get to us right away,” just a slight inaccuracy, “and had to get President Itou out of here fast. They’ll come back for us as soon as he’s safe. We just have to hold tight until then. Okay?”

“They’ll be back?”

“Yes.”

“Soon?” Anna was now staring at Lucas with glassy eyes.

“Yes. As soon as they can.” He hoped that he sounded more sure than he felt. He had no clue how long it would take to get the President to safety. He didn’t want to be trapped down here any longer than he needed to, and he wasn’t sure how long Anna would last without medical assistance. He stared at her closely. Her breathing was labored and her skin had taken on a pale, bluish tone. He placed a hand on her cheek, feeling how cold and clammy she’d become. This was not good. Even for someone not in the medical field, he could identify a patient in shock when he saw one. Anna had probably lost a lot of blood, and he had no way of stemming the blood flow or getting her the necessary blood infusion. Right now, the only thing he could do was to keep her calm and as comfortable as possible.

“M’kay. Tired.” Those were the only words Anna muttered as she closed her eyes again. Lucas placed two fingers on her neck, feeling for her pulse; it was slow and weak. Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It would not help if he freaked out right now. Anna needed him to be levelheaded and she did not need him showing that he thought she was going to die. 

He took the flashlight, and used it to illuminate the small, enclosed space. He hadn’t taken the time to truly examine the damage the grenade blast had done, nor had he looked closely at the rock wall holding hundreds of gallons of water back. As the light hit the barrier, he could see thin streams of water illuminated against the rocks, but not enough to really worry him. It appeared as though they were doing a decent job at holding strong, despite what he calculated to be an immense pressure. No, what really alarmed him was the growing puddle at the base of the stone wall. For now, the amount of water pooling on the ground was less than an inch, but the escape pod had not released the flood that long ago. If that much was accumulating due to leakage, he didn’t want to know how quickly the space would fill if one or more of the stones came loose.

Lucas turned the flashlight back so that it provided minimal coverage of the small space where Anna lay. He switched hands, keeping constant pressure on Anna’s wound, and moved their minimal supplies closer to their position. He did not want to lose any of those items, especially since he wasn’t sure how long they’d be trapped down there. Without anything else to keep him occupied, Lucas moved in as close as he could to his friend, without inadvertently hurting her even more. She didn’t even flinch as he wiped the sweat from her forehead. Lucas pulled his knees in tight, resting his head on the back wall and keeping an eye on Anna for any sign of her waking.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

“What d’ya mean you just left them there?” Tony Piccolo was angry and he was not going to hold back this time. “Turn this tub around and go back. Now!” He lunged for Dominic, who immediately took several steps back.

Mina Sejal, who’d recovered enough from her injury to take back control of the mission, stepped in and placed herself between Dom and Tony.

“They’re dead, Tony. We had to get out of there. Did you want all of us to die today? Huh?” Dominic yelled right back at Tony, jabbing the air with his finger.

“Both of you stop. That’s an order.” Sejal had obviously had enough. She physically pulled Tony away from the other recruit, fully aware of how upset he was. He’d just been told that his best friend was dead and had been left behind while the rest of the group made it out relatively unscathed. The last thing she wanted to do was make it worse, but they had a job to do and they couldn’t do it with tempers running hot. She gestured towards Lyle, who immediately took Dominic aside. 

The small ground team, now much smaller due to the missing two members, and the other passengers of the escape pod had been successfully grappled and retrieved by the COA’s small sub as soon as Moe caught their alert. The two swimmers had been called back in, and Tony had been shocked to see that both Lucas and Anna were not on board. It was Dominic – the last to see the other two alive – who’d given Tony the news. Unfortunately, Dom’s rushed explanation was defensive and choppy, causing Tony to react in they way they’d just witnessed.

Sejal practically had to force Tony into an open seat, while the rest of the team waited anxiously for their next orders. “Listen. I know you’re upset, angry, even frustrated, and have every reason to be. But now is not the time for grieving or,” she glanced over her shoulder at Dominic, “attacking a teammate for lack of tact. But right now, I need you to put all of that emotion aside until we’ve done what we came to do. I need you to focus on the mission. We will go back and retrieve their bodies, you have my word, but we have to first get President Itou to safety.” 

Tony stared silently at her for a moment. Sejal could almost see him thinking through his response. “Fine. I’ll leave him alone. For now.” He narrowed his eyes as he stared across to Dom. The team lead saw the instant softening of Tony’s expression as the young man shook his head. “Leave me here. I wanna go back and get Lucas’ body myself. You can come back for me after you’ve transferred the Prez.”

Sejal sighed. While she had a feeling Tony wasn’t going to be very cooperative, she hadn’t expected him to make this request. She should have, but didn’t. “No, Piccolo. We cannot leave you here alone. It’s too dangerous.”

“Listen, I’m not leaving without Lucas. The last time he was declared dead, he turned up alive and kickin’ weeks later. If he’s still alive back there, he’s not gonna be able to wait weeks for a rescue. I need to see for my own eyes. Please,” he implored.

The extractions team lead wasn’t convinced she was making the right decision, and she was pretty sure she’d live to regret it, but she couldn’t deny Tony’s request. It was his decision to risk his own life by hanging around a ‘hot’ area until the team could return, but she didn’t like it. She knew, in her role as the senior member of the team, that she should order him to remain on the sub as they transported President Itou to the U.S.S. Hamilton, which was waiting just inside the border of UEO territories. However, in this particular situation, she was willing to let protocol slide. They would never leave any of their agents behind – ever. If it wasn’t so important to get Itou out of hostile waters and onto that carrier as soon as possible, she would have ordered her team to turn around immediately. She would never have left that island without every member of her team – dead or alive.

She stared at Tony, who was obviously focusing very carefully on controlling his natural impulse to explode with emotion. She shook her head, not believing what she was about to say. “Fine. I’ll let you go back.”

She was met by a look of mixed relief and complete and utter astonishment.

“On one condition.”

“Sure, anything.”

“You lay low. You don’t let them see you and you sure as hell don’t let them catch you. I am not going in for another rescue mission. You hear me?” Her voice was stern and she was trying to convey how uncomfortable she was with the whole situation. 

“Yes, Ma’am.” Tony wasn’t smiling – there wasn’t much to smile about right now – but he was pleased with the outcome.

“We’ll be back in six hours, Piccolo. Set your watch. I want you to get in that passage and stay there, until we show up. If you get some unwanted visitors, I don’t care what it does to your manhood, you hide. Got it?”

“Sure thing. Hide.”

“And Tony?” 

“Yeah?”

“Arm yourself. Take a harpoon gun if you have to. And—“ she hesitated, “be careful.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Tony responded, already on his way to grab the gear he’d discarded earlier. 

Sejal turned to Moe who had been watching and listening without bothering to hide the fact. “I know, I know. Shan’ll have my ass when we get back.”

“Roberts too,” the pilot interjected.

Sejal sighed. “Yes, him too, although it’ll be more than just because I let Piccolo go back, alone, while we delivered the target. Let’s get our ears back up. See if they’ve managed to make their way down here yet.”

“Already on it, boss.” Moe grinned. “We’ve got some company, but not enough to be a concern right now. Don’t think they’ve noticed us lying down here, but we do have some pretty awesome camouflage technology, if I don’t say so myself.”

The team lead rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide a small smile. He was right. This piece of tin had some of the best technology in the world, and even if the unfriendlies were directly overhead, they’d have a hard time spotting her when she was settled on the sea floor.

“Okay. Let’s see if you can use this ‘awesome technology’ to get us as close as possible to where we came from. I don’t want Piccolo to have to swim far. Let’s get him in, then we’re going to haul ass until we can retrieve him.”

“Consider it done.” Moe spun in his seat to face the controls, but before he started inputting navigational data, added “any chance you want to notify HQ of the, uh, situation just yet?”

Sejal closed her eyes and thought for a moment. If they alerted HQ, she would be ordered to keep Piccolo on the sub, and she could not defy orders. If they remained ‘out of radio contact’ for an hour or so, they’d be far enough away from the island that they would not be sent back before delivering their target. 

“No. Let’s keep off the grid for a bit – give Tony some time before we tell them what’s gone down.”

“All right, but this is going to come down to haunt you, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. But, if it was you in there, I’d want to do exactly what Piccolo’s doing.” She gave Moe a light pat on his shoulder before turning back to the rest of their team.

“Listen up, team. I understand that you’re upset. We all are. Today, we lost two good members of our agency - our friends - but I need you to keep your head in the game. We have a job to complete and we cannot lose sight of that now. There will be time to grieve and there will be time to mourn, but now is not that time. Rest assured that the Agency never abandons any member of our team. We will bring Lucas and Anna back. This I promise. It just has to wait until we’ve successfully transferred President Itou to a safer location. As you probably overheard, Piccolo has requested to stay on site to retrieve the bodies. I’ve decided to accept his proposal. We will be moving back into position within minutes to drop him off, and will be returning to bring them all home, as soon as our mission is complete.”

Sejal stared at each member of her team, trying to determine how they were doing emotionally. It was obvious that Dominic was upset. She couldn’t quite read if that emotion was more anger or guilt, because he had been the last to see those two alive. Niko looked somewhat relieved. As a former Army medic, he had most certainly lost friends in battle before. It was never a comforting feeling to have to leave your friends behind, even if it meant the only way to save your own life. Now Andre. Well, he just looked like he had something to say. Sejal could pretty much guess what that was.

“Spit it out, Andre.” She was too the point.

“I’d like to request permission to accompany Piccolo.” Andre was serious. 

“Denied.” Sejal stepped closer the young man and could read the warring emotions on his face. “You’re not trained for what Tony’s about to do.”

Andre opened his mouth to speak, but Sejal cut him off before he could get a word out. “He’s a swimmer, Andre. A good one. There is no way in hell I’m going to suit up a recruit who has basically no aquatic training, and send him into hostile waters. Alone, Tony can slip through their line undetected and lay low until we can get him out. If I let you go, and you make even the tiniest mistake, it could cost our team another two lives. Understood?”

“Yes. Understood.” 

“If Sheila requested to go with Piccolo,” she gave a sidelong glance at the more experience swimmer, who was already almost fully suited up again, “I’d deny her request as well.” With that she shot her colleague a stare that she hoped read as ‘don’t even think about it,’ and was happy to see that Sheila got the message.

Andre nodded and Sejal was pleased that the recruit really did get the gist of what she was saying. She just couldn’t risk losing another two. Two, possibly three, was bad enough. “Good. Let’s get moving then, shall we?” 

The team members turned back to their tasks, breaking down their gear and prepping for long ride to the rendezvous point with the carrier. Sejal moved over to where their ‘guest’ was sitting, having a conversation with Agent Tanaka. She was going to have to be a little more tactful in explaining why they were taking a bit of a detour in getting him to safety, but since they’d saved his life, she was almost certain he’d understand. 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Tony pressed his body against the jagged edge of the rock outcropping and felt his way to an area that provided a bit more cover. He slipped into a crevasse large enough to hide his body, and waited. Within seconds, a single diver in scuba gear swam past, heading in the direction Tony was going. On instinct, he tried to make himself appear as small as possible, and cursed the oxygen tank he was forced to carry. It was his mentor’s idea to keep his gills under wraps for the time being, until the brass higher up deemed it open information. For now, they were considered classified information, which meant he was schlepping around added weight he didn’t need. At least there was one thing in his favor. Ten years ago, a re-breather holidng that much oxygen would have been a helluva lot bigger than this one.

Willing himself to remain in place, Tony watched with trepidation as the diver moved to the giant gaping hole in the cliff left by the escape pod, and entered the flooded passage. There was nothing he could do except wait for the diver to come back out – hopefully with empty hands.

This wasn’t the first close call he’d had in the short time he’d swam from the sub. Since the ground team had been ambushed in the tunnel – and they still didn’t know how their arrival had become known – the waters in this area had been monitored at a higher frequency. Moe had managed to keep their own vehicle out of sight, but it made moving around outside of the sub that much more difficult. The short swim alone had taken three times as long as it should have. Every time the COA pilot had identified a patrol close to the vicinity, he’d sent a signal to Tony to take cover. Most often, this meant finding someplace, any place, to hide or laying flat on the seabed under as much sediment as he could disturb. As a result, he was getting more and more frustrated with the attempt. Was he ready to give up? Hell no. He’d make it to Lucas and Anna one way or another, even if it took the entire six hours to do so.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

The water pooling at their feet was getting higher and higher. He could no longer ignore the reality that the inner chamber where they were trapped was eventually going to fill up completely with water. Right now, he could feel the water seeping into his clothes and there was nothing he could do about it. Lucas sat close to Anna, shivering uncontrollably. He didn’t want to disturb her, but he needed to keep her body temperature up. Despite the heat blanket, she too was freezing. He had no idea how long they’d been trapped down there, but it was too long. The makeshift bandage he’d fashioned out of his undershirt was now completely soaked with blood, and the constant pressure on her wound didn’t seem to be doing any good. There was no way of knowing how much damage that pulse weapon had done on her internal organs without a proper medical facility, and he was definitely not qualified to do much more than sit with her and wait. At this point, she looked and sounded so bad that he was almost certain she wasn’t going to make it through the next hour. Anna hadn’t regained consciousness since the first time, and he didn’t think her body was strong enough to fight anymore. 

He gently pushed her hair out of her face and watched as she struggled to take each breath. Her lips had turned blue and her skin was stark white, even in the feeble light produced by their flashlight. She’d just lost so much blood. Lucas pulled his hand from her face and wiped his eyes. He didn’t want to give up hope, but the reality of the situation was too harsh. Almost as though she could sense his despair, Anna slowly opened her eyes, and stared directly at him. 

“Hi,” he gave her a small smile, “how’re you feeling?” He could have kicked himself for that one. Of course she was feeling like crap.

“Water,” she managed to mouth, unable to raise her voice.

Lucas quickly grabbed the open bottle and raised it to her lips and waited as she took a small, tentative sip, pulling away when she no longer seemed interested in more.

“Lucas,” she paused, attempting to catch her breath, or build up enough strength to continue. Lucas leaned in closer to hear her better. “I’m not going to make it out of here.”

“No. Don’t say that. We’re both going to get out. Soon. They’ve probably already got a rescue party on the way.”

“Liar,” she breathed out, but gave him a faint smile. “Won’t get here in time. Not stupid.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid, Anna,” he sighed. “I’m hopeful. You need to stay hopeful too.”

“Was good, right?” She stared at him again.

“You mean, in the field? On the mission?” He gave her a much bigger smile now. “Yeah, you were pretty bad-ass out there. Sure did hide your nerves well.”

She managed another weak smile. “Favor?”

“Sure, anything.”

“My sister, Louisa. Tell her -- love her, and,” she paused, “tell her m’sorry.”

“Of course.” Lucas whispered. He hadn’t realized that Anna had had family. Most of the recruits and agents were pretty much alone in the world. It made it easier to cut all ties, he guessed.

“Thank. You.” She sighed and closed her eyes. 

Lucas wasn’t sure if she had lost consciousness again, so he leaned in even closer. He couldn’t see her chest rising and falling anymore, and even her shallow breaths had gone silent. Quickly, Lucas felt her pulse. Nothing. No, no, no! He immediately changed his position to one that would allow him to administer CPR, the need for constant pressure on her wound no longer the highest priority. He had only ever done CPR in training and on a dummy, and it was nothing like this. Lucas found himself thinking of nothing but chest compressions and breaths, everything else became a blur in the background. “Come on, breathe Anna, breath,” became his mantra. Nothing else mattered. He didn’t know how long he kept going, it didn’t seem long enough, but he knew when to stop. A small trickle of blood slipped out of her mouth and down Anna’s neck; her head lolling to the side. She was gone. Her body had lost too much blood and her heart had given up. There wasn’t anything more he could do now.

Lucas sat back on his heels and stared at his friend. He found it surprising and disturbing that he couldn’t even shed a tear for her at that moment. There was just no emotion. He felt nothing, just completely numb. As carefully as he could, he removed the bloody ‘bandage’ and straightened her uniform, placing her hands gently across her chest. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now, but he knew she deserved as much respect in death as she did in life. It wasn’t until he moved to sit with his back against the wall that he noticed his own hands. They were covered in blood -- Anna’s blood. He just stared at them, unable to move. When it finally sank in, he felt a hitch in his own breathing, his hands shaking in front of him. Lucas moved slowly towards the water pooling on the ground. It had risen at least another inch, and there was plenty in which to rinse his bloodied hands. 

He stared at the open space, as if looking at it for the first time. It was almost shocking to see how much water had made it in. He picked up the flashlight and stepped through the large puddle to inspect the wall of rocks more closely. With one hand, he held the light high enough to let the beam hit a small section of rocks. With the other, her ran his fingers over the barrier, trying to find where the water was coming through. For the most part, the stones were holding steady – a trickle and minor leak here and there. The top most stones seemed to be completely dry, giving him hopes that perhaps the deluge had not reached this part of the passage. Perhaps, the water had stopped short elsewhere, this section at a higher ground. This made more sense. If the hole created by the escape pod’s deployment had been at the same level, or just slightly off, the force of the water would have been far greater than this measly stone wall could have held back. The pressure alone would have knocked it down within seconds. No, this particular part of the passage must be significantly higher than the entrance. 

Initially, the water hadn’t managed to penetrate the barrier that both protected them and trapped them. But now – now it was different. The level inside the chamber was rising at what appeared to be a much faster rate. Lucas reached the end of the wall and then sank down to his knees. He’d been looking at the parts above the water line, but had neglected to check those that were now part of the large pool on the ground. Groping rocks, Lucas found one that shifted beneath his grasp. Crap. He could feel the water streaming from behind, that one stone probably responsible for most of the water in the enclosed chamber. He tried to shove it back in against the others, but regardless of his effort, that particular rock was never going to be water tight. He kept moving back to where he’d begun, his dismay mounting with each loose stone. There was no way he was going to be able to make it out alive if the water continued to leak in at the current rate. Right now, he needed to think about an escape plan, which meant that he was going to have to start pulling rocks from the top. If he could make a hole big enough for a body, he could pull himself out and swim for shore. He didn’t want to leave Anna’s body behind, but if he ended up on land, he was probably going to be taken prisoner. Anyway, it was best that a COA rescue team retrieve Anna’s body.

Lucas quickly gathered his meager belongings and zipped them back into his pack. If he miscalculated, and water came flooding in here fast, he wanted to have everything ready to go. Using his bare hands, Lucas set to work on the highest stones on the barrier between the chamber and the waterlogged exit. It was going to be slow, painstaking work. He had no tools to work with and nothing to use as leverage to pry the rocks free. All he had to work with were his two hands and steel determination. He was not going to die today. Not in this cold, dark hole underground, and not on this island.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20  
Tony finally moved the last few meters to the entrance of the passage. He’d been waiting for what felt like forever for a steady stream of divers to get the hell out of there. He was relieved when the last one left. He had played it safe, waiting much longer than he really had the patience for, but he knew that he couldn’t risk getting caught. The divers seem to have given up on the area – maybe to search the water for their sub – and this left it free for Tony to move again. He glanced at his watch quickly. An hour had passed already, since the extractions team had dropped him off and moved on. This was too much time in his opinion. 

As he swam closer to the opening, he could already feel the difference in the ocean’s current and movement. He wasn’t an expert or anything, but he was pretty sure the tide was starting to come in. Picking up the pace, he swam toward the entrance – an open space with very little coverage. If there were unfriendlies hanging around, this is where they’d spot him. He swam as fast as he could and felt overwhelming relief when he made it inside. Not surprisingly, it was dark. He reached for his thigh strap and pulled out his waterproof flashlight, keeping the beam on the lowest setting. For now, he just needed to follow the path until he reached the end. It was less like a maze and more like a narrow tunnel with several curves and dips. Every now and again he found himself swimming upward. The passage itself, before having been flooded with seawater, must have been somewhat tricky to navigate. The ground team had told him that the escape pod had not been far from where Lucas and Anna had last been seen. However, that last section was full of turns. Finally, he reached what could only be the end. He swam up to the edge of what once was a very steep climb – the ladder was visible under the water – and hoisted himself up. A large and ugly looking pile of rocks prevented him from going any further. The water level had managed to rise past the highest point of the ledge and was now about a third of the way up the obstruction. Tony pulled himself out of the water, using the rocks around him, and stepped onto a small section of dry land. He quickly scrambled to drop the extra oxygen tank from his back and placed his foot on the rocks to attempt to get closer. 

“Lucas? Luke? Anna? You in there?” Tony knew the odds of his friend responding were practically non-existent. Dom had told them that he’d seen both Lucas and Anna die in the grenade explosion. He was only somewhat mentally prepared to receive no response. 

“Tony?” Came a muffled answer from behind the thick barricade. Tony just about slipped off the rocks he was standing on, the grin on his face worth more than any words could describe.

“Yeah, It’s me!” Tony was unable to contain the grin that spread across his face. This was the second time he’d been led to believe his friend was dead, only to be surprised later. “You okay in there?”

There was an unexpected pause, which was enough to dampen the joy he’d just felt upon hearing Lucas’ voice. “Luke --?”

Piccolo could hear muffled movement from behind the rock barricade, before his friend spoke again.

“I’m fine, Tony. Anna –“ another pause, “Anna’s dead.”

Dead. He’d experienced the death of friends far too frequently lately, but it never made it any easier to handle. There really was no way to put the emotions to words. In this instance, he did what he’d been trained to do, both on seaQuest and in the COA, to compartmentalize his emotions. At this time, he needed to put aside any grief he felt, and focus on getting Lucas out. He’d liked Anna and he would miss her, but the time to mourn her loss was not now.

“I’m sorry, Lucas. I really am.”

“Yeah, me too.” There was another pregnant pause and Lucas was the first to speak again. “You our rescue party, Piccolo?”

Tony allowed a small smile to break the somber mood, and shook his head. Rescue party. “Looks like. What’ya say we try and get you out of there sometime today?”

“Sounds good to me. It’s getting really wet in here. How does it look out there?” 

Tony could hear some scraping coming from the other side of the rocks, and moved closer to where he though his friend was working on breaking free. “Water’s not quite halfway up this wall, but the tide’s comin’ in pretty fast.” He glanced at his watch, noting the countdown before the COA was expected to return. “We got about four and a half hours before we can get picked up, but this whole tunnel is going to be flooded long before then. We need to move fast.”

A nervous chuckle from behind the rock wall gave away the anxiety his friend was feeling. “I’ve been trying to work the rocks in the top corner free. Want to help me start there?”

“No problem.” Tony scrambled to the section of the wall where he could hear Lucas scraping at the rocks. “I think I might have something in my pack to work some of these out.”

“Explosives?”

“Nah, I wish. Harpoon gun. Might be able to use the harpoon to chisel some of the rocks apart.” Tony pulled the weapon out, and started to disassemble it. “Just cross your fingers we don’t get company anytime soon.”

Both men settled into the laborious chore of loosening the stubborn rubble. Despite the gravity of the situation, and the somber reality of Anna’s death, they tried to make light conversation to keep their minds off of the reality.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

Commander Ford observed his small team, each of them busy preparing for their next foray into combat, and nodded his head in approval. He had selected his team carefully, based on skill as well as their ability to work together. In situations such as these, where they were enveloped in enemy territory without much information to work with, being able to read and trust each other was key to a successful mission. The larger group assigned to this mission had been split in two, with Kimura taking the commanding position with the secondary unit. Ford’s team was to take the lead in landing on the island and approaching the location of the hostages, with Kimura’s to move in from the opposite direction. Right now, they were all waiting the final go-ahead from the UEO, contingent on the President safety, before they made landfall.

Ford watched as Lt. Henderson checked their coordinates. Of their small team, she was one of the few seaQuest crew left who’d been with the boat under Bridger’s command. After Hudson stepped in, it had taken the crew a while to work in seamless cohesion. Consummate professionals, the UEO soldiers had made modifications to get the new crew up to speed and working as a team, but with each loss – namely Brody and more recently, Fredericks – they found themselves having to readjust again. For this particular assignment, Ford had selected Henderson for both her skills as a soldier, and because he knew he could trust her to follow his orders without question. Phillips and Carleton completed their unit.

Kimura’s team was much larger, and consisted of the firepower for this particular assignment. Ford’s smaller group was to move fast and undetected, to the hostages, and would call on the back up once they’d secured a position and assessed the situation. As of thirty minutes ago, both teams had reached their coordinates, and were waiting the word to move in.

“Commander, we are getting hailed by seaQuest, “ Henderson called out from the pilot’s seat.

“Put it on, Lieutenant,” Ford moved up to the seat next to hers and watched as the small screen on the front panel blinked to life, exhibiting the small image of Captain Hudson.

“Commander, it’s a go. The coordinates have not changed and the mission remains unchanged. Get in there, and get out as quickly as possible. I want notification once your team has made landfall and every fifteen minutes after. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

“And Commander --?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Good luck. Out.”

The monitor went black and Ford stood, straightening his combat uniform. “Henderson, move us into position and notify Kimura.”

“Yes, sir.” 

He turned to the two soldiers behind them, who’d been paying close attention to the transmission, and saw that they were already checking their weapons. He nodded in acknowledgment and moved towards his own gear in preparation for the mission ahead.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

He moved quickly, under cover of the early morning darkness, to the predetermined drop point. One of several locations, this was his favorite. It was close to town, empty before daylight, and where he felt safest. At the gates, he paused. He’d been trained to be aware of his surroundings and never was it more necessary than now -- nothing but the rustling of leaves as they caught short burst of air. He was nervous and found himself drumming fingers against a leg. This was the last time, he promised himself, and then he could quit. Take the money and retire. Get as far away from the COA as they’d let him.

Just a few more paces. He reached the bench and turned directly towards the woods. The same stone right in view. He knew what would be under that rock and he knew what he was expected to provide in return. Instead of a disk, this time it was a small slip of paper -- nothing more than a few lines of numbers. To anyone else, it would seem nonsensical. To the COA, it could mean the end of the way in which they’d run their missions for years. Those few numbers held the clue to cracking the security of the entire organization. 

He only hoped that the “buyers” had held up their end of the bargain. This would be the biggest payday of them all, the one that would make his turn to becoming a traitor worthwhile. He moved slowly towards the stone, his hands itching to get a hold of the promised package. Early on, during the negotiation phase, he’d insisted on cash-only transactions. This would minimize the red flag immediately sent up with large bank deposits. To date, he’d managed to filter the cash through other venues, with more cash than necessary hidden around his house. This payment would be the most complicated to deal with, but he was ready.

He licked his lips in anticipation. Pushing the stone out of place, he staggered. He could immediately feel the blood drain from his head. Nothing. The hiding place was empty. He clenched his fists in rage, the blood pounding in his ears. In his frustration, he didn’t notice a figure step out of the dark. A figure he’d failed to see in the trees.

“Put your hands on your head and turn slowly.”

He froze in place – momentarily stunned – then followed instructions. He knew he’d been caught. There was no way out of it now.

“John. I should have expected it would be you.”

“I’m not alone, Gus. If you even so much as lift a finger to scratch and itch, we won’t hesitate to put you down.” John Roberts moved in closer, a pulse pistol trained carefully on the traitor. “Why’d you do it, Gus?” 

Two additional agents – security forces – moved into the open, both with weapons pointed directly at him. The COA handler was resigned to the fact that the agency would never let him walk. They answered to a different law than civilians and he’d never have a chance to defend himself publicly. There was no need to lie. 

“Money,” he scoffed. “Revenge. The agency cost me everything: my wife, my family. What did I get in return? A crappy home in a crappy town and no life of my own.”

Roberts nodded at one of his men, who immediately moved behind Gus, pulling his hand down and handcuffing them behind his back. He was frisked for weapons, which was a fruitless endeavor. He’d never carried one outside of his own training.

“Money. You were willing to put a price on the lives of three agents. Four if you count Agent Tanaka. Was it worth it? Knowing that you are the reason they’re dead.” 

John tone was calm and controlled, but make no mistake, the man was seething with rage. It was most obvious in his eyes. Gus suppressed the urge to shudder. He knew what that agent was capable of. They all did. Gus knew he couldn’t answer the question. There was no answer. Instead, he chose to keep his mouth shut. He closed his eyes, knowing what would come next: a trip back to Campus, lock-up, and COA’s version of “interrogation.” 

“Take him in.” 

Those were the last words spoken. This would be the end for him. No one outside of the Agency would ever know, or care, what happened to him now.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 

Lucas had no idea how much time had passed, but it must have been a while. The water level was rising faster and faster and he wasn’t sure how long he had left before it completely filled the small cavern. Tony had mentioned that the tide was coming in and the water was much higher on the other side of the wall. While it weighed heavily on both of their minds, neither brought up the fact that they were working against time and just might not win. 

He and Tony had been working hard to chip away at the highest rocks and had managed to clear a decent sized hole. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite large enough for Lucas to force his body through, but at least now they could see each other. Despite the dire situation, Tony was true to nature, making light of the situation and proving some distraction as they worked clearing a larger opening. 

They were moving faster now, making progress, and both hoped it wouldn’t be long before the hole was big enough. Lucas knew that even if he was to make it out of that enclosed space before he ran out of oxygen, there was a chance he’d never make it to the COA sub alive. Unlike Tony, he couldn’t breath underwater and while a good swimmer, couldn’t hold his breathe long enough to maneuver through the long tunnel and into open water.

Lucas gripped the flashlight he’d been using as a tool, and steadied himself against the cavern wall. Even though he’d climbed the stone and was now directly below the low-hanging ceiling of the enclosed space, the water had reached chest level. It was becoming more and more difficult to anchor his body to provide the leverage he needed to coax the stubborn rocks out of place. With a sharp jab to the corner of the stone they were currently working on dislodging, he felt himself slip back into the water with a splash.

“Hey! You okay?” A worried looking Tony peered through the newly enlarged gap.

Lucas scrambled for the rocks, pulling himself back up and shaking the water from his ears. “Yeah. Think I lost my flashlight though.”

Tony grinned, and slipped his upper torso through the hole. “Don’t think you’re gonna need it, Luke.”

He returned the grin. They’d managed to create an opening that he’d definitely be able to force his body through. Pulling his body up to the larger opening, Lucas reached out to grab Piccolo’s extended hand. This was the first time they’d really been able to see each other properly and it felt good. “Thanks for coming back for me, Tony.” 

“Only did what you’d do.” Tony paused before continuing. “They’re going to be surprised though.”

“Yeah, I guess they thought you’d be bringing two bodies back with you instead of one.” Lucas looked back into the enclosure. While it wasn’t something he’d wanted to do, he knew earlier that he’d have to secure Anna’s body as the water rose and had tethered her close to the wall with rope. As he watched her lifeless form bob on the surface of the rising water, he could feel the anger burning again. Lucas and Tony had had plenty of time to talk as they pounded away at the rock, and the topic of their abandonment had come up quite early on. Lucas had been enraged to hear that Dom had informed the team that both he and Anna were dead, when in fact he knew them to be alive. Up to that point, Lucas had been livid with Dom’s decision to leave them behind, when Anna still had a chance. Instead of letting Sejal make the final decision, Dom had decided to sacrifice them both. Not only was the man a possible traitor, but in Lucas’ eyes, he was a murderer too.

Tony had been shocked and equally as angry when Lucas had explained what had happened from their end, and had cursed loudly. Both knew that when they got out of this mess, they’d give the other man a piece of their minds, and quite possibly a taste of their fists.

Lucas willed his anger back under control. There would be plenty of time for retribution if he made it out of this place alive. Right now, he needed to focus on how they were going to make it to the rendezvous point with the rescue vehicle.

“Hey Tony, how much time to we have before the sub comes back for us?” Lucas was attempting to calculate the amount of time they had until the cavern was completely filled with water and therefore the amount of time he had left before running out of oxygen. 

“Uh, just under two hours. It’ll take us about fifteen minutes to get through the tunnel and depending on who’s still out there, maybe another fifteen to thirty to reach the pickup point. We got time.”

Lucas chewed his lip. Two hours. There was no way he’d make it. “Actually, we don’t. You said the tunnel out was completely filled with water, right? And this small area will probably be filled in the next hour. Even if we waited until I could take one last gasp, I’d still never be able to hold my breath for another hour before rescue arrived.”

He was surprised to see Tony disappear from view for a few seconds, before reappearing with a smile on his face. 

“Here, I don’t need it.” Tony passed an object through the gap and Lucas immediately recognized it.

“You brought a rebreather? Why?”

“I guess the COA is pretty good at keeping secrets internally too. They want to keep my gills under wraps and make me take all the gear any other swimmer will need.” He nodded towards the valuable piece of equipment. “I think that model has enough oxygen for five hours. Now, let’s get you outta there.”

Lucas grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Sejal watched over Moe’s shoulder as the pilot gunned the vehicle’s engine. The seemingly innocuous task of delivering President Itou to the U.S.S. Hamilton had taken longer than expected and they now found themselves behind schedule to reconnect with Piccolo. Regardless of how fast they maneuvered through these waters – now filled with allies due to the immediate call for aid made by Itou once he’d reached the American navy aircraft carrier – they were not going to make it back in the six hours they’d promised Tony. They’d be lucky to make it back within seven.

“You want me to state the obvious, boss?” Moe looked back at the team lead, visible concern etched into his face.

Sejal did not respond right away. She chewed on her bottom lip contemplating their options. The waters surrounding the island were no longer as large a threat as before the president had put out a call for assistance. Almost immediately, neighboring islands had reacted, committing their resources to supporting the standing government in regaining control. The president of Yonaguni was well respected and trusted, despite their differences regarding alliances with the UEO and Macronesia, and it had never been more obvious before now. The UEO had official permission to enter the island’s territory and Yonaguni’s General had his hands full. He more than likely had pulled back his forces from the water to focus on the movement on land.

Despite the lesser threat now faced in the water, Sejal was still concerned for Piccolo’s safety. The water was cold and the swimmer had already passed the limit for the time he should be submerged. In addition, his oxygen must be running close to empty by now. No, she had to get him out immediately. He could not wait for their delayed arrival.

“Moe, get me a secure link with seaQuest.”

“SeaQuest?”

“They were called in to secure the Cabinet’s release. They must have a presence in the water right now.”

“Right. On it.”

Sejal slipped into the empty seat next to Moe, and waited for him to make audio contact with the large submarine. She listened as he relayed their request to speak with the captain, and for Hudson to respond. 

“This is Captain Hudson, who am I speaking to?” The man’s voice came through the headsets clearly, his distrust heavily veiled.

“Captain Hudson, I am Agent Mina Sejal with the UEO. My agency mission code is 759286 and you can confirm our authority with the office of the Secretary General.” Certain that the man was relaying this information with one of his officers to confirm, Sejal waited.

“Proceed, Agent Sejal.”

“Captain, I know seaQuest currently has a presence in the waters around Yanoguni,” she paused, but the captain said nothing. “We have one agent still on location and will not make it to the rendezvous point on time. I would like to request assistance in retrieving this agent.”

“You left one of your own?”

“Yes, sir. At his request the agent was assigned the responsibility of bringing back the two agents that we lost.” Sejal closed her eyes. This was probably where she should inform the captain that one of the lost agents was seaQuest’s very own Lucas Wolenczak, but found herself unable to do so.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Agent.” Hudson’s tone had become softer, most likely from having been in the same situation himself. “We have two vehicles in closer proximity to the island than seaQuest and one will be able to retrieve your agents. Relay the coordinates, and we’ll pass them on.”

“Thank you, Captain. We will make contact with seaQuest to retrieve our agents.” She immediately passed on the coordinates and the connection was severed.

They had no way of communicating the change of plans to Piccolo, but as a former seaQuest crewmember, he was sure to recognize the vehicle and its team. Somewhat relieved, Sejal sat back in her seat as they moved at high speed back towards their mission site.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

They made their way slowly through the underwater passage, carefully handling Anna’s body between them. As the water within the internal cavern had continued to rise, Lucas had insisted that they bring her back with them. Tony, who Lucas had learned fought for permission to retrieve both of their bodies, had not argued. The biggest obstacle they’d faced so far was how to get both of them through the small opening and on the path to freedom with the added complication of the rising water level. By the time they’d both made it out, the small enclosure had filled with water to within an inch of the ceiling. Lucas had never been so happy to see a rebreather as he had that moment. Without Tony’s gills, and the un-needed piece of equipment, Lucas would surely be dead by now as well.

Reaching the point where the escape pod had blasted through the rock wall and out into open waters, Lucas shuddered. While it was further from the space where he and Anna had been trapped than he had been led to believe, it was not far enough that Dom should have left them both to die. The man was a poor excuse for an agent and even a worse excuse of a man. When he got his hands on the guy – Lucas found himself clenching his one free hand into a fist. No, he wasn’t going to think of that right now. He and Tony first had to get themselves out of this water and back onto the COA sub. Then, he’d let Dom know exactly how he felt.

Lucas felt a nudge in his side and glanced at Tony. The other man tapped his watch and pointed ahead. They were going to have to move a bit faster to make it to the pick-up point. Nodding, he readjusted his hold on Anna and kicked his legs in the direction they were to head. It was much harder to swim without a wetsuit or flippers. He’d removed most of his extra layers, including his boots, but both he and Tony had decided against leaving anything behind. If the enemy soldiers investigated the cavern, it was best they leave no trace of the COA’s involvement. Instead, Tony had insisted on carrying the extra gear and clothing in his waterproof pack, pointing out that at least he was dressed for swimming. Lucas hated to admit that his friend was right.

Lucas pushed forward, following Piccolo’s lead. He found himself breathing faster, attempting to pull more oxygen out of the rebreather, but found his lungs burning as a result. His movements became more sluggish and spots began to dance across his field of vision. Wha - ? Lucas’ fingers slipped from their hold of Anna’s clothes, and his vision began to narrow. He could feel the rush of blood in his head, but he couldn’t keep his focus. Oh god. He was passing out. Lucas felt his body slip from the grasp of consciousness, and he fought to regain control. It was almost as though he was being swallowed up by complete blackness.

Suddenly, he felt oxygen rush back into his lungs and his head began to clear almost instantly. Lucas became aware of a firm grasp on his upper arm, and he snapped back to attention. With wide eyes, Lucas stared at Tony, whose face exposed the panic he must be feeling. He tried to relay that he was fine, but his friend didn’t look as though he was going to let go of his arm. At that moment, he realized that he’d lost his grip on Anna, and Tony had done the same to respond to Lucas. Thankfully, her body had not moved far from them, and Lucas reached out to grab her. 

Tony again reached out for Lucas and pointed up. He was suggesting that despite the unknown threats they could face, that they should surface. Lucas wasn’t sure that this was a good idea, but with no other option available, he nodded in agreement. He felt the added support of his friend as they moved closer to the surface of the water.

“What the hell happened?” Tony burst out, their heads barely breaking the water’s surface.

Lucas spat out the rebreather, and gasped for breath. He was a strong swimmer, but the events of the past day were taking a toll on him. Even treading water to keep his head over the waves was taking more out of him then he wanted to admit. “Don’t know.” He coughed out, wiping the water from his eyes. “I think the rebreather is low on oxygen. For a while, it felt as though I was suffocating, then it was fine again.”

With Anna’s body carefully cradled under his one arm, Tony reached for the now-discarded rebreather. “There’s no way this thing is out of oxygen. It was fully charged when I gave it to you.” Examining it closely, Tony’s expression began to change. 

“What?”

“The gauge is off. Looks like it’s almost empty.”

“Let me see,” Lucas reached for it, looking at the oxygen gauge carefully. “Crap. I don’t think there’s more than thirty minutes left in this tank. How much longer before the team gets back?” Lucas knew the answer before Tony could speak. Not enough time.

“’Bout an hour. What d’ya wanna do? Hang out up here and risk it? Or see if we can push our luck under water for a bit longer? We don’t have far to go.”

Lucas didn’t hesitate. They needed to get to the rendezvous point as soon as possible. Once there, he at least could stay close to the surface and wait for the sub to arrive. It had to surface for them to enter the hatch anyway. “Let’s keep going.”

“Okay. But we’re gonna stay just deep enough to avoid the pull of the wave. Don’t want you goin’ deeper if you start to pass out again. You feel any sorts of funny, you go straight up. Got it?”

“I got it, Tony.” Lucas didn’t have the strength to roll his eyes. He knew Tony was suggesting exactly what he would if the circumstances were reversed. He pulled the rebreather out of the water and placed it back into his mouth. As he reached for their fallen friend, Tony frowned and pushed his hands away.

“Don’t even think about it, Luke. I got her. You look like you can barely haul your own ass through the water. There’s no way I’m letting you take Anna too.”

“I’m fine, Tony,” Lucas sighed, but he didn’t try again. Tony was right. He was exhausted. His head hurt, his lungs burned and his limbs were starting to feel like lead weights. Lucas knew it was going to take everything he had left just to swim and tread water for the next hour. He took one last glance at the island country, it’s steep cliff walls seeming further and further way in the darkening evening sky, and then willed his body back underwater, moving towards their meeting point.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Commander Ford was both pleased and perplexed with the way in which their mission had gone. While they had been on many an assignment where they knew themselves to be outnumbered by enemy forces, most of them put up a formidable fight. In this situation, it was as though the General’s troops were leaderless. Once Ford’s small team had hit land, they’d laid low, moving quietly and swiftly towards the last known location of the Cabinet. As they got closer to the compound, they expected more soldiers – more firearms – surrounding the building. It was quite the opposite. The few soldiers left to ensure their hostages’ did not escape, scattered once the small seaQuest team made their position known. If he didn’t know better, Ford would guess they ‘save-their-skin’ mentality and were no longer following any orders. This made seaQuest’s team’s task much easier and, while it was both curious and somewhat concerning, Commander Ford was not going to look this gift horse in the mouth.

Kimura’s team had met with almost the same results as they moved in from the opposite direction: very little resistance and complete surrender when the General’s soldiers found themselves at the business end of a weapon. The Presidential Cabinet was relieved to be rescued, but had chosen to stay on the island to assure the citizens that there was a stable government in place. President Itou was expected to return as soon as the General’s location was verified and his protection service was re-established. As of now, they had no idea where the General was, and neither did his soldiers. It was apparent that he had left his men without word and with no direct leadership in place. The Army was only too eager to fall back in line under the Presidential Cabinet.

There was no need for this small group of UEO Navy officers to stay on land, and Ford had ordered them back to their launches. At this time, they’d just boarded their vessels and were just about to make a scheduled contact with seaQuest.

“Commander Ford, we have audio contact with seaQuest,” Lonnie Henderson turned to her commanding officer.

“Put them on, Lieutenant.” 

“Commander,” Captain Hudson’s voice reverberated in the small space, “Minor change of plans.”

“Sir?”

“Just a slight detour before returning to seaQuest. The team that pulled President Itou off the island had to leave one of their men behind. They’ve requested we make the pick-up, and since your vehicle is closest to their designated rendezvous point, you are in the best position to do so.”

“Aye, Sir.” 

“Coordinates are being sent over now. You have forty-five minutes to reach that location. Out”

Commander Ford glanced quickly at the screen in front of Henderson, the new coordinates already visible. They really were in the best position to make the pick-up. Their vehicle was practically there already.

“Lt. Henderson, you heard the captain. Change course for the new coordinates, and let’s see who we fish out of these waters.”

Lonnie gave a slight smile as she punched in the new numbers. “Yes, Sir.”

Ford slipped into the seat next to his pilot and allowed himself to relax, if just for a moment. Hopefully, this last minute change wouldn’t provide any unwanted surprises. 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

With each kick and stroke, he struggled to get his limbs to comply. Lucas could feel his body giving out on him, fighting every inch he moved forward in the water. He shot a quick look at Tony who was moving just slightly to the left and ahead of him. While Tony was attempting to hide his concern, it was evident every time he turned to look back at Lucas. The younger man would have smiled at the thought, but he was just too tired. The one thing in his favor was the fact that the rebreather hadn’t given as much trouble in the last thirty minutes. He could feel it falter here and there for a few seconds, but the oxygen levels had not yet dropped to dangerous levels. Based on how long they’d been underwater, Lucas knew he’d run out of air within minutes. It was simple math and when was the last time he’d made a mistake with basic calculations? He just hoped they were close to the meeting point.

Just as he was at the verge of his breaking point, Lucas saw Piccolo signal to stop. The sense of relief was overwhelming. A quick glance at their surroundings was all he needed to know that their ride home had not yet arrived. Until it did, they were going to have to remain under cover. They had no idea if the water was being searched, or even if the mission had been a success. For now, the only thing they could do was wait for rescue. Lucas nodded as best he could as his friend pointed towards a particularly rocky part of the ocean floor. They were not that far below surface, nor were they far from land, and the underwater terrain was more forgiving for those seeking a little more cover. 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

The small submersible maneuvered gracefully towards the pre-determined rendezvous point. Lonnie was a well-trained pilot and Commander Ford had a lot of faith in her skill with the vehicle. In fact, he was proud of his whole team and they way they conducted their ops with precision. Even if things had not gone surprisingly in their favor, he trusted them all to complete this mission to the best of their ability and with honor.

“Commander, we are approaching the coordinates.”

“Slow it down, Lieutenant. Give the sediment a chance to settle.”

Lt. Henderson expertly slipped the craft into a small space, allowing the rocky ocean floor to provide some cover if needed. As she scanned the surrounding area, Lonnie squinted closely through the glass panel.

“I think I see movement.”

Ford leaned in closer, his eyes following where Lonnie was pointing, hoping to get a better idea of what was out there. 

“There.” 

There was definitely movement in the water. As the vehicle slowly moved closer, they could identify not one, but three bodies -- two of whom seemed all too familiar -- moving towards them.

“Is that –“ Henderson started.

“Piccolo and Wolenczak? I think it is.” Jonathan could not keep the surprise from his voice. This was not what he expected when they’d been ordered to make the unplanned detour. Shaking his head, Jonathan could not help but give a slight smile. “All right, Lonnie, take her to the surface so we can let get them onboard.”

Within a few moments, the shuttle had ascended the short distance to the surface, and the hatch readied to open. To the relief of the small seaQuest team, the water was calm with no other vessels in sight. They were fortunate to be working under the cover of the darkening skies, and while the situation was no longer considered hostile, Commander Ford was not one to take any chances.

With an audible hiss and thunk, the hatch opened. Seaman Phillips pushed the metal door aside and climbed through the opening and onto the solid body of the now-exposed vehicle, ready to assist their passengers onboard. Despite his surprise and disbelief surrounding the identity of the men they’d been asked to fish from these seas, Commander Ford waited patiently. He gave a quick glance at Lonnie, who was standing at the base of the ladder. She chewed her lower lip anxiously. He could only imagine that she was just as curious he, to question both Tony and Lucas. 

Lonnie gasped, and Jonathan could barely suppress his own outburst, when Lucas practically fell down the ladder into the body of their vehicle, catching himself before he hit the ground. The kid was dressed in military fatigues, not a wetsuit, and was soaked to the bone. They had no idea how long Lucas and Tony had been in the area, nor what had transpired during that time, but based on the way the younger man looked, it hadn’t been as easy as their own mission. Lucas was abnormally pale, his eyes set in dark circles, a deep gash across his forehead. Regardless, he pulled himself back to standing?

“Lucas, are you okay?” 

“Commander Ford,” Lucas responded and attempted a salute for his commanding officer. However, his hands and teeth were shaking so much from the cold, it came off as more of a wave. 

Lonnie quickly threw a blanket over the young ensign’s shoulders, obviously thinking quickly the moment he’d appeared, and Lucas accepted it gratefully.

Now was not the time to speak. Lucas’ ungraceful entrance was followed closely by Phillips’ appearance at the hatch. “Sir? “

Ford looked up, questioningly.

“We’ll need some help getting the body down.”

Before Ford could move closer, Lucas pushed the blanket from his shoulders and took his place at the base of the ladder, eyes trained upwards. Waiting.

“Sit down, Lucas.” He shot Lonnie a look, and she nodded. 

She gently took the younger man’s arm to lead him to one of the vehicle’s open seats, but found that despite his lack of color and exhausted appearance, he stood firm.

“Commander,” Lucas rubbed his eyes wearily, “I want to do it. She was my friend.”

Ford’s features softened. This wasn’t the first time that one of them had witnessed the loss of a friend, and in the current climate, it wouldn’t be the last. He nodded slightly and moved next to Lucas, ready to assist as the fallen woman was lowered into the sub. 

Lucas, with the assistance of Ford, guided Anna’s cold, lifeless body into the body of vessel. Neither of them lowered her to the ground, rather Lonnie moved ahead and cleared a space in the rear of the vehicle. Carefully, the two men placed her across the back row of seats while Lonnie draped another blanket across the still young woman. 

A loud thud came from behind, and Commander Ford turned in time to see Piccolo drop the last foot from the ladder into their sub. Unlike Lucas, he was dressed for movement through the water: full body wetsuit, with a compact watertight pack strapped to his back. Ford glanced at Lucas, who was back under his blanket, before moving to greet the somber looking Tony.

“Hey Commander, thanks for the lift.” Tony gave the older man a thin smile, “weren’t expecting you though.”

“The surprise is mutual, Tony.” Ford smiled back. “We were in the area and got word that your ride home was going to be delayed.” 

“You takin’ us back to seaQuest?”

“We’ve been ordered to sit tight until your transport makes it. We’ll lay low, but if necessary, we can pull further in to UEO waters until they make it.” Commander Ford looked closely at the younger man. Like Lucas, he looked exhausted. However, unlike the ensign, Tony didn’t appear to be close to collapsing under his own weight. He had no idea what had transpired to put these two men in this situation, but he could only surmise that it had been bad. He nodded towards a seat, and Tony sat. Ford cleared his throat. “Care to tell me what you’re doing here, Mr. Piccolo? Last we heard you and Lucas were heading to OCS.”

“I’m not at liberty to say, Commander.” Tony looked him straight in the eye. “It’s classified, sir.”

“Classified.” Ford repeated. He wondered if Captain Hudson had any idea that these two had not in fact headed to Rhode Island. “Is there anything you are ‘at liberty’ to tell me?” He doubted he’d get a straight answer from the man sitting in front of him. 

“No, sir. I don’t believe there is.” Tony’s expression said it all. He was telling the truth and there was no way the seaQuest Ex-O was going to be able to get more out of him. “Just that we’re both pretty happy to see you, right about now, Commander.”

Ford nodded and glanced back towards Lucas, who was now staring back at both of them. The younger man was starting to regain color, and Henderson had done an adequate job at patching up his head wound. He found it curious that Piccolo had come aboard in full scuba gear, obviously prepared for time in the water. Lucas, on the other hand, had been dripping wet, still in fatigues. They had been part of something big – most likely related to their own mission – and it was obvious that things had not gone smoothly. He also found it surprising that neither of these two had asked about seaQuest’s own presence. It could only mean that they had been aware beforehand. 

“Sorry Commander,” Lucas finally spoke up. He’d obviously overheard Piccolo’s response, and was not going to volunteer any information of his own. 

“Fine. Any chance you two are going to be heading back to seaQuest sometime soon?” He imagined that was the safest direction in which to steer.

He noticed the look exchanged between the two men, and it surprised him. They didn’t know. Tony looked away, avoiding eye contact. Lucas responded for the both of them, or it could just have been for himself. “Maybe. Hopefully.” He shrugged, the blanket slightly slipping off his shoulders. “I guess we just have to wait and see.”

Lonnie had been uncharacteristically quiet. She had just opened her mouth to speak, when an alert sounded in the cockpit. They were being hailed. She reached for the headset while simultaneously punching keys. 

“This is seaQuest MR-12.”

While they could only hear one end of the conversation, it was evident that Lucas and Tony’s stay had come to a close.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The hatch had barely opened before he pushed his way in. He could feel Tony close at his heels, but right now Lucas had only one thing on his mind. The fatigue, exhaustion, and physical pain he’d found debilitating just hours before, had dissipated. Instead, he felt the swell of red, hot rage fueling his movements. Ignoring Mina Sejal as she reached out for him, he headed for the back of the sub – for the one person he wanted to get his hands on more than anything else. 

He lunged towards Dominic. The man didn’t have a moment to react before Lucas took a swing. He placed every ounce of his strength in that punch, and felt the impact of his fist against the traitor’s face.

“You killed her. You killed her, you bastard!” He screamed as he lashed out at the man again. Lucas heard nothing but the pulsing of blood rushing to his head. His only focus was the man in front of him. Suddenly, he felt his arms grabbed from both sides, his body pulled back from the man now lying on the floor. He tried to wrench them free, but his arms were firmly pinned behind his back. He had no idea who was holding him, and he didn’t really care. He was panting, sweating from the exertion, but given an inch, he’d find away to hit Dom again. He didn’t notice the blood on his knuckles, nor did he notice how badly he was shaking. He was completely focused on the man who had left them to die. Alone.

It took a fraction of a second for Lucas to become aware of anyone other than Dominic. Barely a moment after he’d been pulled away, Lucas saw movement of the corner of his eye. Tony. In a few long strides, his friend had managed to reach Dom, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and hauled him to his feet. He was silent, but Lucas could see the tension in his face and body. He watched as Tony slammed the man into the wall, pressing his arm to Dom’s throat. 

“You left them to die,” Tony growled. “Why? why’d you do it?”

Dom’s face began to turn a deeper shade of red, the pressure Tony was placing on his throat becoming visible. “I…I…”

“What, no words now?” Tony’s face was within centimeters of Dom’s.” “Give me a reason I shouldn’t kill you now?”

“Tony, let him go.” It was Sejal. 

“I can’t. He left them to die. He has to pay.”

“And he will. Just not like this.” The team lead showed Tony the zip ties in her hand and nodded towards Dom. “Let him go.”

Lucas watched as Tony pulled back, letting Sejal take over.

“Thanks…” Dom murmured.

“Shut up. When I want you to talk, I’ll tell you.” They could all see the anger in her face. “Hands and wrists together.” 

She wrapped the zip ties around his wrists, fastening them tightly. Lucas could see Dom wince as the plastic bit into his skin. Sejal grabbed him by the upper arm and forcefully pushed him into a seat. 

“Sit there and don’t move.” She then turned to the team, who had been watching intently, her gaze finally resting on Lyle. “Watch him. If he even attempts to stand, knock him out.” The explosives expert nodded, moving closer to the disgraced recruit.

“The rest of you need to listen up.” She stared directly at Lucas before making eye contact with Tony and the others. “I know you are angry and confused. I know I am. You want to know how he could have left two of our own back there, why he lied. You want answers and maybe even revenge. But now is not the time. Trust me and trust the agency. I swear we will not let his actions go unpunished. We will get the answers we want and he will pay for what he did. The agency will not take this lightly.” She paused. “There will also be a time to grieve – to mourn the loss of one of our own. Anna was a friend and she’ll be missed, but I need you to push all of this aside for now. We need to first get home.”

There were a few nods, and some grumbled acknowledgements from within the team. Sejal smiled grimly in response. 

Lucas hung his head. He knew she was right, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to shake a confession out of Dom himself. He clenched and unclenched his fists, his movement still restricted by a strong hold on his arms. It was only now that he noticed who had pulled him off of Dom. Niko. He felt the medic release his grip as Sejal moved closer.

“Lucas, I’m sorry. We would have gone back for you if we’d known.”

“ ‘S okay. Not your fault.” Lucas mumbled. Now more than ever, he was feeling the effects of the entire ordeal. He was just so tired.

“Still. We don’t leave our fallen teammates behind. Ever.”

“Thanks for sending Tony back. I don’t think…” he trailed off, not even wanting to think about what would have happened if his friend hadn’t found him on time.

“You have him to thank for that, Lucas. I think he’d have found a way to get back in there even if I’d ordered him to stay.” She smiled, glancing back at Tony.   
Lucas looked up to see his that his friend had changed out of his wetsuit and back into fatigues, and was now watching Lucas and Sejal closely. Lucas could tell from the look on his face that Piccolo was both worried and still very angry, but he was doing an adequate job at containing his emotions. He was being a professional. Lucas sighed. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, only then noticing the blood on his knuckles.

“Sit down, Lucas.” Sejal motioned to someone behind him. “Niko, check him over.”

Lucas opened his mouth to protest the need for the medic, but closed it again before muttering a word. He may have felt and looked like crap, but he was really fine. Just tired. Regardless, he knew that Sejal wouldn’t be appeased until Niko made that diagnosis himself. Instead, he just followed orders and took the nearest seat.

“I’ll talk to you later, Lucas. I’ll need to know all the details before we check in with HQ, but we have a long trip ahead before we hit dry land. There’s plenty of time to rest first.” She touched him lightly on the shoulder before turning away.

Niko dropped his first aid supply bag on the seat next to Lucas, a pen flashlight already in his hands.

“I’m fine. Lt. Henderson already checked me out, Niko.”

“Sure you are, Lucas. But I still need to do this.” He crouched down in front of the young ensign. “I just need to check your pupils first.”

Lucas let the medic complete his cursory examine, resigned to the fact that his word wasn’t enough to let him off the hook. He knew he wasn’t badly injured. Other than the cut on his head, and a few bruises, he was just plain exhausted. Nothing rest couldn’t cure. He answered Niko’s questions and endured the prodding long enough for the man to declare the obvious. He’d live.

“Here, take these.” Niko handed held out two white pills and a bottle of water. “Don’t look at me like that, Lucas. They’re just Aspirin.”

“Thanks.” 

“You want something to eat? I think I can find an MRE in the back.”

“Uh, no. Thanks. I’m definitely not hungry enough to eat one of those.”

“I don’t blame you. Those things are pretty disgusting,” Niko chuckled. He paused before taking a more serious tone. “You want to talk about what happened back there?”

Lucas looked his friend. He could see the grief in his eyes. All of them had lost a friend on this mission, and they all had the right to know what happened. He glanced around the small sub and noted that everyone was paying attention. Some were doing a better job at appearing to be doing other things, but they all were waiting for him to speak. They all needed to know what had happened. They needed to know what Dom had done and how Anna had died. He closed his eyes and sighed.

“Not really.”

Niko patted Lucas lightly on the shoulder and leaned down to pick up his bag.

“But I will. I guess now is as good a time as any.” Lucas looked directly at Mina Sejal, who was sitting in the co-pilot seat next to Moe. She nodded in response, immediately getting up to move closer. Likewise, the other members of their team, both COA agents and recruits alike, shifted to listen to what he was going to say. Lucas refused to look back towards the seats behind him. Refused to look at the one man he still felt betrayed his trust. Even if Anna’s life could not have been saved, Lucas blamed Dom for not giving her a chance. 

He took a small sip of water before recounting the events, starting from where Sejal was knocked unconscious.

It didn’t take as long to get through the details as he thought it would. Lucas was happy for Tony to take over at the point where their experiences converged. As Piccolo filled in his own account, Lucas could see the expressions on each member of the team’s face. From the looks they were individually shooting in Dom’s direction, they were each disgusted and repelled by the other man’s actions. 

He found that he was having a hard time staying focused on Tony’s description of events and the questions being asked by the others. His eyelids kept drooping involuntarily, only to be jerked open again. He was losing the battle against fatigue. Lucas leaned his head against the side of the sub. He felt, for the first time since he’d been pulled from the water, that he wasn’t on constant alert. He could let his body relax. They were heading back to the Alaskan outpost before the final leg to HQ, and there was nothing left for him to do. He finally gave up fighting the exhaustion, letting his eyes close. He could hear the murmuring of voices around him, feel the vibrations of the sub, and let them lull him to sleep.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

A firm grip on his arm was enough to wake Lucas with a start. He sat up suddenly, feeling a sharp burst of pain as his forehead made contact with something equally as hard. 

“Ow!” 

It took a moment for Lucas to get his bearings and for his eyes to adjust to the light. He squinted, noticing Tony rubbing his own head.

“Sorry.” He raised a hand to the bandage on his head – the wound aching from the unexpected impact. As he did, Lucas noticed how badly his hands were shaking. His heart was still racing from the sudden waking, the adrenaline still coursing through his body. Lucas took a deep breath.

“Didn’t mean to scare you, man.” Tony shot Lucas a concerned look, the younger man’s reaction not lost on his friend. “We’re going to be landing in a minute. Thought you should probably wake up.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” He pushed himself to a more upright position and glanced out the window. Far below, he could see an expanse of green trees, cut into sections by reddish-brown lines – logging roads. He couldn’t see campus yet, but they must be relatively close to the COA landing strip. The small plane was making a steady descent east. Lucas wasn’t sure how long he’d slept on this flight. He’d managed to get some interrupted rest on the trip to Alaska, but he’d still felt drained at the start of their second leg back. Tired enough to sleep most of the way “home” anyway.

They’d made it to the Alaskan outpost hours ago, staying longer than they had on their way out. The extractions team had exhaustedly shuffled into the living quarters of the on-site crew and been offered a warm, dry place to wait, and a hot meal, while their transport home was arranged. There was no helicopter for the trip home rather the team had traveled slower, but in more comfort, in a small airplane. At this point, they were all just ready to get their feet back on solid ground and adjust back to a more “normal” routine. They hadn’t been gone that long – just a few days – but it felt like weeks.

Mere seconds after touchdown, the small plane was a flurry of activity – each team member scrambling for their gear before the doors could open. It was evident on all their faces that they were relieved to be back. 

The door swung open with a creak, and a familiar face poked in. “Nice to have you back, ladies and gentlemen,” Chief Shan greeted them. “Before we can release you from your assignment, you’ll have to be debriefed. Staging Area 2 in fifteen.”

The announcement was met with an audible groan. Lucas passed a hand over his face. They were all just ready to be done. He grabbed his small pack - the one Tony had carried through the water for him - and slung it over his shoulder before heading for the door. He found himself the last of the recruits to descend the stairs, just Moe and Sejal left behind. Squinting in the bright sun, he slowly descended the stairs towards the tarmac. A small ground crew was busy unloading the equipment from the plane, and other than Chief Shan’s brief visit, there weren’t too many others there to greet them.

“You okay?” 

Lucas looked up to see that Niko had hung back – obviously waiting for him. 

“Yeah. Fine.” Lucas readjusted his pack before pushing forward. “You don’t need to keep checking up on me.”

“Right. Have you seen yourself in a mirror?” Niko gave him a small smile, his eyebrows raised questioningly.”

“No.” Lucas wasn’t exactly sure what the medic was referring to. Sure, he had a pretty ugly gash on his forehead, which was now patched up, and he was pretty sure his torso was covered with bruises, but nothing life threatening. He’d seen worse.

“Well, you look like crap,” Tony piped up from a few feet ahead.

“You don’t look so hot yourself, Piccolo.” 

“What can I say? Haven’t had much beauty sleep in a while.”

Niko chuckled at their banter as he walked on. Tony slowed his own pace enough for Lucas to catch up, before dropping his voice lower.

“Seriously, Wolenczak. Sometimes you need to stop trying so hard to be tough. There’s nothin’ wrong with asking for help, or just accepting it when you need it.”

“I’m fine, Tony. If I needed help, from you or anyone else, I’d say so.” He was getting frustrated. He knew he’d been through a rough few days, but everyone else had too. He was handling it and he didn’t need to be babied every minute.

“Sure. Whatever. Just sayin’. We didn’t watch Anna die, Lucas. You did. And you can’t keep carryin’ that around and not talking ‘bout it. Just, if you do want to talk about it, I’m here you know.”

Lucas stopped, closing his eyes and sighing. He knew his friend was only watching out for him and he couldn’t lose sight of that. He reached out to pat his friend on the shoulder. “Thanks, Tony.” 

They were approaching the staging area and noted the number of agents heading inside. While out in the field, it was easy to lose sight of how many people were involved in the mission. Between the extractions team, the logistics team, and those running the entire operation, this group was much larger than expected. As they made their way towards area 2, Lucas noted a few more familiar faces. Along with Shan, Roberts and Durrow, he could see Commander in Chief Hokstad speaking with Agent Tanaka. That was a surprise. He had not expected the head of the COA to attend a mission debriefing, but then again this agency did not adhere to any particular rules other military branches may follow. 

Tony and Lucas moved through the room towards empty seats in the far corner. As he slipped into his seat, Lucas noticed John Roberts starting at him. The older man gave a short nod, which Lucas returned. This was the first time he’d seen the man since before they’d left on the mission, and he hadn’t heard anything of what had transpired at HQ while they were away. 

“Take your seats, Ladies and Gentlemen,” a voice boomed from the front of the room. The response was immediate. The sounds of chatter ceased, replaced by the scraping of chairs against the hard floor.   
Chief Hokstad remained standing, waiting for the room to settle. “Thanks to this entire team, we are very fortunate to have Agent Tanaka back in our midst.” A round of applause broke out, causing the Chief to pause. “Unfortunately, while the mission was a success and President Itou was extracted safely, this did not come without a price. As most of you know, this mission served as the final training component for our newest class of recruits. One of these brave recruits fought with courage and fortitude, but paid with her life. I’d like everyone to please bow your head in a moment of silence as we remember Anna Shelton.”

The silence was deafening. Lucas stared at his hands, refusing to close his eyes. Each time he did, he could see Anna, lying there in the cave, the blood seeping through her clothes. He didn’t want to remember her that way, but for now, the events of the past few days were too new – too raw. Over time, he hoped he could remember her the way she should be: alive, happy, and strong.

The Commander in Chief cleared his throat. “We are going to follow standard COA procedure for this debriefing. Each team lead will provide an account of his or her team’s activities. After which, a small group of individuals will be asked to stay while the rest of you are released. We will ask those individuals to address the Operations panel in private, regarding confidential or classified information. Any questions?”

The Chief was met with silence. Lucas exchanged a look with Tony, who just shrugged. It appeared as though the majority of the COA team assembled in the room had been through this procedure before. With the exception of the new recruits, this wouldn’t be a new experience.

“Good. In that case, I’d like to begin.” The Commander in Chief stared solemnly into the gathering in front of him. “What I’m about to tell you will be shared more widely as soon as this meeting is concluded. Until the official announcement is made, no one will discuss it outside of this room. As many of you are aware, we have been experiencing agent-loss rates higher than average for the past year. We’ve had reason to believe that one of us has been sharing information outside of the agency, thereby compromising the mission and objectives of this organization. I asked agent Roberts to put together a small team to conduct an internal investigation in order to determine if we had a traitor in or midst.” Chief Hokstad paused. The grim look on his face was enough to convince those among them that his suspicions had been correct. “As of yesterday, Gus Reynolds has been taken into custody. He is accused of treason. We are conducting a full investigation on how long he’s been selling COA information, to whom, and how this has affected missions in the past as well as those in the future. We are also assessing whether any of the currently embedded agents need to be pulled out for their own safety.”

The Chief’s words were met with murmurs from the audience. Lucas, while aware of the investigation into a mole, was shocked to hear it was Gus. He had been working with the older man for a few weeks, and while he hadn’t particularly liked him, he’d never suspected him as the one to blame.

“Hey,” Lucas heard Tony whisper, “you know about that?”

“No. First I’m hearing it too.” He glanced at the sea of faces, all stunned to hear the news. 

Commander in Chief Hokstad continued. “Before Agent Tanaka made contact and requested extraction, we were concerned that her cover had been blown and she would be the fourth agent to end up as a casualty. Thankfully, that was not the case. Agent Tanaka’s assignment is highly classified, so she will not be presenting details in this forum.” The Chief nodded towards Chief Shan, who stepped forward.

“Let’s begin with the extractions team. Agent Sejal?”

Mina Sejal rose from her seat.

“You think they’re going to make us stay? You know, for the individual debriefings?” Tony asked in a low voice. 

“What do you think, Tony?” 

“Yeah. Stupid question,” he mumbled in response. 

Lucas sighed. He hoped this wasn’t going to take long, but deep down, he knew it would probably be a while before he was going to be allowed to head back to their bunk.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The standard briefing procedure did not take as long as Lucas expected. The COA agents were well versed with the process and seemed to move through their accounts with as much efficiency as could be expected. The panel of senior staff interrupted sparingly, mostly to request the team lead expand upon specifics, allowing the briefing to progress smoothly. 

Despite the overwhelming desire to take a shower and crawl into bed, Lucas listened closely to the accounts told by other teams. He had a firm understanding of his own team’s role in the mission, but it was interesting to hear what had transpired from different perspectives. Other than the extractions teams’ experience in the field, the others seemed to have played their parts without too many unexpected consequences. The mission was going to be labeled a success, but Lucas had a hard time swallowing Anna’s death as an “unfortunate outcome” of the mission. If it hadn’t been for Dom, she might have made it out of there alive. He only hoped that the Agency saw it that way as well.

It wasn’t until Commander in Chief Hokstad dismissed the majority of the individuals gathered, that they knew who would stay and who would be required to give more in depth details of the mission. The older man read off the short list of names. It didn’t come as a surprise to Lucas or Tony that they were required to stay for individual briefings. In addition to the two submariners, Sejal and Lyle were asked to stay to give their accounts of the mission. Lucas looked around the room at the small group still seated. There were seven in total, and Lucas identified the other three as part of the logistics and intelligence teams.

“I understand you are all tired and ready to retire to your bunks,” Commander in Chief Hokstad looked directly at both Lucas and Tony before continuing. “However, we need to get the information from you while it is still relatively fresh.” The Chief nodded to the members of the panel, who immediately got up and headed towards the door. “We’ll be pulling you individually into a private room. Sejal.” Hokstad waited for Mina to rise before stepping out of the room himself.

Within moments of the Chief’s exit, Tony had pushed himself up to standing and took a quick glance through the open doorway. He didn’t stay there long, before turning back to address Lucas.

“How much you think she has to share that we haven’t heard already?”

Lucas just shrugged, but Lyle grinned in response. “You still have a lot to learn about COA agents, Piccolo.”

“Yeah?”

Lyle chuckled. “Just relax, Tony. I doubt Sejal is hiding anything, but they are still going to want to question her about what happened and what went wrong. It’s routine. Might as well sit tight.”

“Hey, did you guys know about Gus?” 

Lucas looked at the man who just spoke, and tried to remember if they’d met yet. He thought he recognized him, but couldn’t put a name with his face. “No. No idea.”

“How about you, Nina?” They all turned to look at the Intelligence expert sitting in the back row. Of any of them, she was the most likely to have had some idea of what had transpired on Campus while they were out on the mission.

“All I can say is that it came as a surprise to most of us.” She paused, “I mean, Gus of all people? I think we all had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right and maybe someone on the inside was responsible for all the agents that kept getting compromised, but no one wanted to believe we had a traitor in our midst.”

“So you don’t know how they caught him?” Tony looked at her questioningly.

“I know as much as you.” Nina shrugged.

Lucas wasn’t sure whether or not he could believe that the Command Center staff was as much in the dark as those that had been off the grid for the mission. Surely they had some inkling that something had happened or was about to happen? The intelligence agents in particular had more insight into the inner workings of the Agency than most of the field staff, so they must have noticed something. He decided to let it go – for now. At least the others weren’t questioning him about his involvement in exposing the mole. 

While they weren’t made to wait long before the next person was called in, time seemed to stand still. The small group slowly began to whittle down, until just three of them were left: Tony, Lucas, and Phil, part of the non-deployed tactical team. They took turns pacing the room, sitting back down, and shifting uncomfortably in their seats. There was no chance of relaxing or easy banter amongst them. Rather, they waited their turns in silence with only passing words between them.

Finally, the door opened. “Lucas.” 

Lucas glanced up to see John Roberts standing in the doorframe. 

“Guess I’ll see you later,” Tony gave his friend an unconvincingly smile.

“Yeah. Catch up with you later.” Lucas rose from his temporary seat and moved towards the older agent. He knew he wasn’t in trouble, or on trial for any misdeed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this in-depth questioning was going to feel more like an interrogation.

Roberts clamped a large hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “Relax. It’s just routine. We’re just trying to get the most accurate, detailed picture of the mission.”

“I’m fine.”

Roberts nodded towards a smaller inner room – one without the extensive glass windows found on most of the COA conference areas. Lucas hesitated for a fraction of a second; long enough to realize he was being ridiculous. He stepped through the door.

“Have a seat, Mr. Wolenczak.” Commander in Chief Hokstad gestured towards the large oval table – a single seat available directly across from the panel. Lucas lowered himself onto the chair and waited as Roberts moved to his own. Both Shan and Sarah Durrow were part of the Operations panel, which made him feel slightly more at ease.

The Commander in Chief reached for the console attached to the table and pressed a small read button, before giving Lucas a smile. “We are going to record this conversation. However, every detail shared within these walls will be classified at the highest level. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that there will be repercussions if details of the mission were to leak.”

It was not a question. “Yes, sir.” Lucas unfolded his hands – now damp with perspiration – and wiped them on his pants.

“Good. The purpose of these debriefings is not to point out where individual agents made the wrong decisions rather, it allows us to get a more detailed picture of what transpired. We will ask you questions that you feel you’ve already answered, or that you feel may not be important, but we have good reason for pushing you to answer them. Often, persistent digging allows us to uncover details you didn’t even realize you remembered.” 

The Commander in Chief paused, giving Lucas a moment to respond. He nodded in acquiescence. 

“Let’s begin. I want you to describe all actions of the mission; beginning with the moment your team set foot on land. Leave no detail out. We’ll interrupt if we feel the need to delve a bit deeper.”

“Yes, sir. “ Lucas took a deep breath and began to recount the long hours of his first COA mission.

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

 

“Captain, a moment?” Commander Ford managed to catch Hudson before the commanding officer left the Ward Room. Their mission debriefing had gone smoothly and quickly. Like Ford, the other senior officers were also left perplexed at how little resistance they’d faced. Hudson, with intel from cooperating navy officials involved in the assignment, had filled them in on what had transpired in the field teams’ absence. The seaQuest officers felt a little more at ease with the additional information, but there were a few too many questions left for Commander Ford’s comfort. He had asked his team to refrain from mentioning Piccolo and Wolenczak’s involvement in the mission; they were to refer to them as the two agents they’d been requested to assist. Ford was waiting to share this information with Hudson alone. The captain could make the decision as to whether these details could be shared more widely.

Captain Hudson raised an eyebrow, yet did not say a word as he closed the door behind the last man. Ford swore the man knew from the moment he’d stepped foot back on the seaQuest that something was up. There was no reason to beat around the bush. Ford took a deep breath and just spat it out. “Captain, the two agents we picked up were Piccolo and Wolenczak.”

Hudson stared at the commander for a moment, his face completely devoid of expression. Ford could not even venture a guess as to what the captain was thinking. He waited for a response.

“Did they say what they were doing there?”

“No, sir.” Ford cleared his throat, “Piccolo said it was classified.”

Hudson could not hide a slight smile. “I bet he did.”

“Obviously they are not at OCS. Were you aware of this?”

“Commander, officially, Mr. Piccolo and Mr. Wolenczak have spent the past six weeks in Rhode Island at Officer Candidate School.”

“Unofficially, sir?”

“Unofficially, they were requested to be reassigned temporarily to a lesser known UEO military branch.”

“By John Harrington – or should we call him Agent Roberts now?”

“By someone who currently has a higher security clearance than both of us, Mr. Ford.” Hudson’s tone indicated that the conversation was over. “I’d appreciate if you’d keep this information to yourself, and encourage your team to do the same.”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Oh, and Jonathan, how’d they look?” 

Ford paused before answering, “ready to come home, Captain.”

Hudson nodded slightly before turning towards the door. 

sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ sQ 

Lucas was feeling the effects of sitting in the same room, on the hard seat, for such a long time. There was no clock in there, but the Operations panel had kept him in there for what felt like hours. His head was beginning to ache and despite the full glass of water placed in front of him, his mouth felt dry and parched. He’d made it through his account of the mission until Anna was hit before the members of the panel started interrupting. They questioned the tiniest details, actions of fellow team members, and things Lucas didn’t even remember happening. They’d spent a lot of time focused on the period of time between when they’d first come under fire, until Dom had left Anna and Lucas alone in the tunnel. 

Lucas knew it was important to convey the details, but it didn’t make it any easier to relive Anna’s last moments and the realization that he too might die there. It brought to surface his anger at Dominic and he didn’t apologize for his actions towards the man when they’d come face-to-face again. If he had to do it again, he wouldn’t hold back on throwing another punch.

“Thank you, Mr. Wolenczak. I think we’ve heard as much as we need from you. You’re dismissed.” The Commander in Chief turned to Shan. “Send for Mr. Piccolo next.”

Lucas did not move. He’d spent god-knows-how-long telling them what he’d experienced and answering their questions, and he had some of his own questions. He wasn’t quite ready to leave just yet.

When Shan did not move towards the door, the Commander in Chief turned back towards Lucas. “Is there something else, Mr. Wolenczak?”

“Actually, sir, there is.” Lucas glanced at Roberts. The man could not hide a look of amusement. “I have some questions of my own.”

“Really?” The older man leaned forward, his arms resting on the table. Lucas wasn’t sure how well the Commander in Chief was going to take this detour in process, but he didn’t know if he’d have the opportunity of an audience with these senior officers again.

“Yes, sir. What was Dom doing when he snuck out at night? Where was he going? How did he get out without anyone seeing him? 

Lucas didn’t get to finish his long list of questions – which covered more than just Dominic’s nightly disappearances – before the Commander in Chief waved his hand to cut him off.

“One at a time, Lucas. I think we can probably bend the rules this one time and answer some of those questions. Don’t you think?” Hokstad turned to the senior COA staff at the table. They nodded in agreement. Like Roberts, it was evident that Shan found his persistence both amusing and somewhat expected. “John, I think you can best address Lucas’ questions regarding Mr. Morales.”

“After you pointed out Dom’s disappearance from the dorm, we put a tail on him. Turns out, he was bribing one of the security officers – who has since dealt with accordingly – to turn a blind eye. He never left Campus, though. From the limited time we had to track him, we determined that he was using the time to research each of the other recruits – to find their weaknesses – and to improve his odds of getting a better posting. Since you all have been back, we’ve had some time to interrogate Dom. We never saw him as a threat because we were looking for the traitor. He just never fit the profile. During questioning, he admitted to being paranoid and jealous and worried that he’d end up reassigned to logistics. He wanted to be a field agent and needed to prove that he was better than the rest of you. He was going through your belongings, but says he didn’t find anything. Ultimately, he was most worried about Piccolo and Sam West as competitors. Dom admitted to tampering with Tony’s rebreather. He had no idea that Piccolo doesn’t need one. He thought it would cause Tony to have to turn back before the mission was complete, making him look weak. 

“But instead, he almost killed me for a second time.” Lucas glared at Roberts.

“He never intended to kill anyone.”

“But he did. He left us behind. He lied to the team and he left us for dead. What do you call that?”

“True. He’s a coward and a poor excuse for an agent. He acted out of fear and self-preservation. Two qualities we hope to never see in our agents. What he did was inexcusable and reprehensive, and he will be put on trial to address his crimes. Dominic Morales will never become a COA field agent and he will most probably spend the next few years of his life behind bars for his actions.”

Lucas bit his bottom lip. He wanted the man to pay for what he did, but he knew in his heart that Dominic was never going to be charged with murder. Manslaughter maybe, but not murder. He still did not move from his seat. There were so many unanswered questions left to ask. “What about Gus?”

“What about him?”

“How’d you get him?” 

John Roberts looked at the Commander in Chief, who just nodded in acquiescence. “That tiny change in source code you found – it helped us narrow our suspects down to three. We put a tail on each of them, but only Gus’ actions raised red flags, so we put an invisible electronic tag on his skin and watched him. Not every arrest has to be dramatic, Lucas. Sometimes, just patiently watching and waiting is all you need.”

“So, basically you really didn’t need me or Tony here. You’d have caught him eventually.”

“Probably.”

“Then why? Why force us out here under false pretenses?”

“I think you know why, Lucas. We – I – wanted you to see what the COA has to offer. I knew you’d make a great agent and this could provide you with a bigger challenge than being an ensign on a sub ever could. Even a sub like seaQuest.”

“And because of our history, there’s no way I’d even have considered it.”

“Exactly.”

“And Tony?”

The Chief answered before Roberts could respond. “We’ve known about him for a while and have been tracking his progress. The UEO may not see his potential, but the COA does. His gills are most definitely the reason we were interested in him from the start, but he’s proven to be a valuable asset. He’s hard working, loyal, and determined to advance in his career. With his criminal history, the UEO will never accept him into an officer-track position with the Navy. We can. Tony Piccolo would make an excellent addition to the COA. We wanted him to see that for himself.”

“You could have approached him alone. Told him the truth.”

“Really Lucas?” John raised his eyebrow, “You think Tony would leave seaQuest just because we sent for him? The two of you are more alike than I think you’re willing to admit. That boat and crew are your family. With the world thrown into a tailspin in your 10-year absence, it’s also the only place that has been constant in your lives since you reappeared. You think he’d leave his home that readily?”

Lucas was beaten. He knew they were right. While Tony might have been tempted, he most likely would have declined the offer to enter the COA training program if it meant leaving the only home and family he had left. Tony deserved the chance to advance his career. Even if Hudson was willing to go to bat for him, Lucas knew that Chief Hokstad and Roberts were right – the UEO would never be able to overlook his criminal history.

“If there isn’t anything else, Mr. Wolenczak, you’re dismissed.” 

Lucas pushed himself to standing, but stopped short before heading to the door. 

“Yes?” The Chief no longer looked amused.

“Sir, what are you going to do with,” he paused, “Anna’s body?”

His question was met with a brief moment of silence before Chief Hokstad spoke up. “Her family has already been notified of her death and has requested that her body be transported home.”

“I’d like to be the one to escort her, Sir.”

The Chief stared at Lucas, who fought the urge to shift uneasily. “Permission granted, on one condition.”

He looked up expectedly, not sure what the Commander in Chief was going to say.

“I want you to put serious thought into joining our ranks, Mr. Wolenczak. Don’t make any rash decisions. Take your time. Recruit graduation and swearing in will be held next week. You have until then to escort Ms. Shelton’s remains home and to make up your mind.”

“Yes sir. Thank you, sir.”

“Oh and Mr. Wolenczak?”

“Sir?”

“In your absence, let Mr. Piccolo make his own decision.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lucas nodded in quiet agreement before leaving the room. He never had any intention of trying to persuade Tony to return to seaQuest. Hell, he didn’t even know what he was going to do. The Chief and Roberts automatically assumed he’d choose to go, but over the course of the past few weeks, he’d come to respect a lot of the work the Agency did. Unlike the other branches of the UEO military, the COA did the job without any credit. The only people who knew how much they had at stake, were other members of the Agency. 

He had a lot to think about over the next few days. He had Anna’s last words to deliver to her sister and an important decision to make on his own. Lucas only wished he could call Captain Bridger to ask his advice. Somehow though, he knew what the Captain would have to say. It was his decision alone to make. Lucas sighed. He was ready for a shower and solid sleep. Any important decision would have to wait until then.


	25. Chapter 25

Taking liberty with the time they’ve spent at COA because I lost track  
*The COA mission, etc., are a combination of information taken from the CIA mission statement, US Navy, and FBI core values. 

Chapter 25

There was a chill in the air, not unexpected this time of year in northern New England. With each soft gust of the autumn breeze, small piles of red, yellow, orange leaves were picked up and swirled around the freshly manicured lawn. The COA’s main green had been transformed overnight from an empty, yet serene, grassy area, to one filled with members of the agency. In the center, surrounded by the red brick buildings of the campus, a stage had been erected and in front of it, lines of simple white chairs had been meticulously arranged. 

As the early morning gave way to midday, the quad began to fill, the white seats slowly claimed. At first glance, a stranger would assume an impeding university graduation ceremony. However, at closer look they’d realize something was amiss. There were no caps and gowns, and certainly no proud parents, grandparents, or children waiting to witness the event. 

Lucas, along with the rest of his recruit class, filed in one-by-one, filling the first row of seats in front of the stage. It felt almost surreal. After two months within this agency, their training was officially over. The purpose of this ceremony was two-fold. It represented both an end and a beginning – an end to recruit training and the life they’d known before, and a new beginning with the COA. Lucas pulled his jacket in a little closer, the cold air biting at exposed skin, and glanced around at his friends. As the COA was not a publically recognized agency or military branch of the UEO, there was no uniform or official dress code, rather, each member of the recruit class had come to their graduation dressed in whatever professional attire they’d had with them when they’d arrived. For Tony and Lucas, this meant their khaki UEO Navy uniform, while the others wore a combination of military, police, and civilian attire. After wearing the same clothes for so long, it seem somewhat strange to see friends represent the lives they were leaving behind. 

Lucas had never attended a Naval Academy graduation, nor had he ever witnessed a military graduation ceremony of any kind, but he didn’t imagine it would be much like this. There were no guest speakers, no long speeches, and no words of motivation for the new recruits. Rather, it was more of a solemn occasion than celebratory. The Commander in Chief emphasized the life-long commitment each of the new COA agents was about to make to the agency, and how it was a decision not to be taken lightly. 

Commander in Chief Hokstad stood tall on the stage, addressing the small audience. “The core mission of the Covert Operations Agency is to protect and defend the United Earth Organization’s member states from terrorism and foreign intelligence threats. We are the UEO’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go. We carry out our mission by conducting covert action to preempt threats or achieve UEO policy objectives, and our actions are rarely acknowledged or rewarded. We do all this with honor, courage, and commitment. As COA agents and operatives, we uphold the highest standards of conduct. We hold ourselves – and each other – to the highest standards. We embrace personal accountability and we reflect on our performance and learn from that reflection.”  
He paused, a steely gaze falling on each of the graduating recruits. “If you cannot or are not willing to uphold this mission, or to embrace the COA’s core values, I urge you to rethink your commitment to this agency. Those of you who are willing to pledge yourself to the mission of this agency, please stand and raise your right hand for swearing of the oath.”

The Commander in Chief waited for the group to stand before continuing. “Please repeat after me –

I solemnly swear that I will support and defend the United Earth Oceans against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

The Commander waited for the graduates to finish before finally breaking out into a smile. “Congratulations Agents. Now let’s celebrate.”

The small group assembled outside let out a loud cheer, and a thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Lucas and Tony both stood to congratulate their friends.

“I can’t believe it’s finally over,” Andre grinned, shaking Lucas’ hand. “And I still can’t believe you guys decided not to sign on – after everything we’ve been through.”

Lucas laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder. “I guess we’re just not cut out for this place.”

“Yeah right. You two fit in here from the get-go – better than others even. What’s the real reason?”

Lucas paused before responding. He’d thought long and hard about taking the offer to join the COA permanently. Ever since they’d returned back to Earth, there just didn’t seem to be a place for him on the boat. He’d spent a lot of energy trying to be the soldier that was expected of him, but he never seemed to be able to live up to those expectations. At least, not in Hudson’s eyes. He knew the COA had accepted him and, despite his previous experiences with the agency and Roberts in particular, he’d actually grown to like it here. However, no matter how well he fit in, it just wasn’t home. He’d miss his friends, and most of all he wasn’t willing to cut ties with Captain Bridger. “Maybe I’m just a die-hard submariner and just not ready to live on dry land yet.”

Andre gave him a sidelong look -- one that told Lucas he knew he wasn’t being completely honest – but didn’t push further. Instead, he gave Lucas a grin before accepting a handshake from someone directly behind them. 

The graduation and swearing-in ceremony was followed by a surprisingly lavish reception that seemed to go on for hours. After mingling with both the veteran and new agency employees for a while, Lucas found himself wandering away from the noise. It wasn’t much of a revelation to find himself standing in front of the park bench where he’d met with Roberts a handful of times. It was just far enough removed from the celebration that he could take a moment to enjoy a moment of solitude. 

It was barely early evening, but the sun had already started to set. Lucas sat down and stared out across the green. He could see his friends and their new colleagues mingling under the white tent. Every once in a while he caught a word or two that drifted across the quad to where he sat. He smiled. Lucas couldn’t quite define how he felt at that moment, or how he felt about his most recent experiences with the COA. He knew his opinion had changed since the first time he and Roberts had met. He had a lot of respect for the Agency and their agents, and was a little more accepting of their procedures, but he now he knew he could never be one of them. 

Lucas closed his eyes and breathed in the crisp fall air and smell of leaves. He was going to miss this – being outside – and wanted to savor every moment before he headed back to seaQuest. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that someone had stepped out of the dark. He knew immediately who it was. 

“Roberts.”

“Mind if I sit down?” The older man replied, already moving towards the empty space.

Lucas nodded slightly and shifted over, before turning his gaze back to the celebration in the distance.

“I don’t think I need to ask what you’re doing out here.”

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, until Roberts spoke again. “I can’t say I was surprised that you turned down the offer to stay here permanently, but I am a little disappointed. Every person in this agency would be honored to have you as part of their team. You and Tony both. Just so you know, the door is open for you. When you’re ready to leave seaQuest, just say the word. You belong here.”

“Thank you.” Lucas stared at John briefly before continuing. “It was a tough decision. I mean, much harder than I thought it would be. I never wanted to be here in the first place.”

“I know, and I’m sorry that I put you in that position. It was selfish.”

“I can think of a better word to describe it,” Lucas smirked.

John Roberts grinned in response. “Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

“I hated you for ordering me here – even more than I hated you for what you did to me before.” 

“I know.”

“I don’t hate you anymore, but it doesn’t mean I can forgive you yet.”

“I can live with that.”

Lucas looked at the older man. He had been surprised to realize that he no felt animosity towards Roberts. To him, it didn’t make sense. There was so much that Roberts had said and done that just didn’t sit right with him, but still, Lucas could begin to see reason behind his actions.

“I guess I won’t be seeing you again for a while. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I hope it’s not any time soon.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Wolenczak. I’m piloting your launch back to seaQuest tomorrow, before heading off on my own.”

“You have another assignment already?”

“Sort of. Just not the kind you would expect.” John grinned. “I’m taking some time off. Heading to a little island in the Yucatán.”

“Wait, what?” Lucas looked at Roberts in disbelief.

“Somebody once told me how important it was not to take family for granted. It just took me a while to take that advice to heart.”

Lucas grinned. “Must be one smart guy.”

“A genius.” Roberts winked back.

They sat in silence for a moment before Lucas spoke up again. “So, have you told him yet, or are you going to show up on his doorstep unannounced? You don’t want to give the old man a heart attack.”

“I haven’t quite figured that out yet, but I had hoped you might help.”

“Yeah? How?”

“I’ve got time now if you want to come with me to make a call?” 

Lucas looked at Roberts, and could honestly say that he saw the man. There was no mask, no evidence of his position within the covert agency. Looking back at him was a man who sincerely wanted to make amends and trusted Lucas to help.

“I’d like that.” He smiled.


End file.
